Thar she blows, whale sightings on rise in San Mateo County

Anchovies, sardines and other fish are spending their time in shallower waters, and the whales go where the food is. 

“They’re like me, I don’t like to be too far away from my food,” Capt. William Smith said, who leads whale watching expeditions in Half Moon Bay. 

Although this is an annual phenomena, the increase in media attention and overall education on marine life has provided a spotlight on this gem experience in the Bay Area, Smith said, who has ran more whale watching trips, or nature trips, this year than usual. 

While social media and technology can cause young people to “have their heads plugged into their electronics,” he hopes this media attention will actually work to get them to look up, go to the coast, and join in on the nature show. 

“With social media talking about this, hopefully, it will excite more people to experience nature and understand our environment better,” Smith said, who has worked on commercial boats since 1971. “I’m absolutely 100% in favor of people coming out, especially my passengers. I have a wealth of knowledge of what’s going on here in the ocean and I love to talk about it with people.”

Smith owns and operates the “Riptide,” a 40-foot fiberglass hull running small group outings to see marine life up close. Based at Pillar Point Harbor in El Granada, Smith said he has seen up to eight whales during his three-hour morning outings in recent weeks. 

Numbers are particularly abundant as of late. A Facebook group called Pacifica Whalespotting gives multiple updates a day, from contributors, sometimes minute by minute, providing locations and times of sightings, with the occasional photo of a humpback breaching. 

During the winter season, the fish, and therefore the whales, move further offshore to avoid the turbidity of the water caused by increased wave breaks. In later summer months, this shifts. 

“Because it’s so calm right now, everything just moves in toward the beach where people are now noticing it,” Smith said. “This is very typical behavior since I’ve been involved in the business. That’s true up all along the San Mateo coast.” 

Although the visibility is joyful for residents, the whales themselves remain at risk when coming near shores, possibly getting in harm’s way due to busy ports that can lead to entanglements or vessel strikes. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns vessel operators to not only slow down when encountering the animals, but ideally operate at no-wake speed — putting the engine in neutral as whales pass. Even for individuals on a boat, kayak, paddleboard or other watercraft, the organization recommends to remain at least a football field’s length away for personal safety and that of the whales. 

Large vessels over 300 tons have also been asked to slow travel speeds while operating in the nearby marina sanctuaries. 

“By following regulations and recommendations, ocean users can enjoy whales and reduce their impact on the animals in their habitat and keep themselves safe,” Maria Brown, superintendent of Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, said in an Aug. 9 press release. 

Excitement will hopefully maintain, Smith said, and he hopes county residents get the chance to head out to the coast and catch a glimpse. For morning trips on the “Riptide,” tickets are $65 per person. Go to riptide.net for more information.

“There’s such a lack of people understanding what’s truly going on in our natural world, especially in the marine world,” Smith said. “Showing this to people is a lot of the juice why I still love doing what I do. I love sharing that information with people and giving them a better appreciation of our natural world because we’re all a part of it.”