Ocean Adventures

I don’t remember exactly when I learned there’s an orca season in Monterey Bay, but when I realized there was a small window of time when I could increase my chance of seeing killer whales, I made a mental note to book a trip. I’d never seen them before, and I’m always excited to witness another piece of California’s ecosystem in the wild.

Coming back from Joshua Tree, Monterey seemed like a perfect stop. I’d read about Fast Raft Ocean Safaris in the Journal of Wildlife Photography. Their rigid-hull inflatable boat caught my attention because it sits so low in the water. I like being at eye level with the wildlife I photograph wherever possible because it feels more intimate. I wasn’t sure how well that would work in reality as the sealife would naturally be under us most of the time, but any breaches would likely be closer.

Being out on the open water in such an exposed boat was exhilarating, and having Kate Spencer as Captain and Naturalist meant we had great opportunities to learn. That morning, we saw plenty of humpback whales, a black-footed albatross (a first for me), California sea lions, sea otters, and nesting Brandt’s cormorants, but no orcas. I had no complaints, though. Indeed, wild experiences can’t be neatly scheduled, but it left me wanting more. The day’s highlight was a shot of a humpback whale tail when it dived. A combination of the low angle I mentioned and the swell of water made it feel like the tail was towering above us, and I got a cool angle that felt a bit different.

On the drive to Monterey, we listened to the Wild and Exposed podcast, including an interview with Chase Dekker. Chase is a photographer and biologist who also leads ocean safaris with Sanctuary Cruises, and the way he spoke about whales, orcas, and sharks excited us about the possibilities, so as soon as I considered a second trip, I found something with Sanctuary.

The second safari actually got off to a rough start. Just as we arrived back at Moss Landing, we got an alert that the trip was canceled because of the weather. This is another example of why it’s impossible to schedule wild experiences! There was nothing to do but reschedule and return. When the trip finally happened a couple of weeks later, the orcas eluded us again, although we could see many more humpbacks and a colossal sunfish. The highlight this time was a Risso’s dolphin leaping out of the water in front of us, showing off its scarred body against a surrealistic foggy sky.

The third safari was something entirely different. The goal was to see one of the ocean’s oldest and most efficient predators: great white sharks. We were out with Chase and Sanctuary again, heading straight to a cove where the sharks are known to relax in the warm water. We had no expectations of seeing any leap out the water or make a kill, but just looking directly at one of the planet’s most iconic—and somewhat mysterious—hunters in close proximity was something I didn’t want to pass up.

Thanks to Chase’s advice, I was prepared to make the most of the photo opportunities by swapping my regular telephoto lens for something much wider and bringing a polarizer to cut through the reflections on the water. He also showed me examples of his photos with the shark in the foreground, framed wide enough to include the coastline. A shark photographed from above, surrounded by turquoise water, makes a good photo, but the context tells more of a story.

We spotted a shark almost as soon as we reached the cove, and as it swam within four feet of our boat, I immediately started taking images. The weird thing was, it didn’t seem true until I paused, put down the camera, and looked at it with my own eyes. Sometimes, I only experience wildlife encounters through the lens, and it almost feels like I’m watching it on TV, but staring directly at a great white felt real and surreal.

As the sun rose, so did the sharks. Thankfully, the clouds shifted a little, warming the surface water and encouraging the sharks to sit shallower and give us a better look at them. Over the next couple of hours, we saw a handful of great whites, and for all the images I took, there was one that stood out, with the beach surprisingly close in the background. Ever since reading The Devil’s Teeth by Susan Casey, I’ve been fascinated by how close we live to these predators, but watching them cruise along the coast while oblivious beach-goers paddled nearby was mind-blowing; a highlight of the year!

So now, as June wears on and I have no more ocean safaris planned, it looks like orcas have evaded me this year. But maybe it wouldn’t be fun if everything were too easy, and it’s a reason to try again next year.