The whales are known to almost hug the shoreline, even popping-up in the waters right outside the Golden Gate. And, because so, are susceptible to collisions with both commercial and residential vessels, sanctuary spokeswoman Mary Jane Schramm said.“We need to give them their space for their sake and for our own sake.”— Mary Jane Schramm Just like us, gray whales don’t want to be put on-blast every time they’re seen. If they could curl-up next to a Postmates delivered pizza and a hefty glass of wine, while binge watching OITNB, they would—metaphorically speaking. Historically, gray whales were once nearing extinction do to effects of unmonitored ocean pollution; krill blooms, the small ocean invertebrates they feed on, were greatly deplinished from illegal dumping, causing cows (mothering whales) to either starve during pregnancy or fail to produce enough milk to sustain their nursing calves. Couple that with the fact they were harpooned without abandon in the eighteenth century, we’re lucky these majestic marine mammals are still around. “We should just be delighted they’re here,” Schramm said. We couldn’t have said it any better, Mary Jane.
So, in the spirit of delighting your Insta followers, here are a few places around The Bay we’ve rounded where you can whale watch from:
Rodeo CoveKirby CovePoint ReyesDoran Regional ParkTennessee Valley BeachMuir BeachDuxbury Point and Marine Conservation Area (Agate Beach and Duxbury Reef)
// Sixty-six whales have—as of this article’s publishing—been spotted in the waters off North Bay Waters; they’ll likely be saying ¡adios! sometime in May.
