Uptick in whales on the Central Coast

“We saw a hurd of dolphins, hundreds of them,” said Lorraine Lubin, of Playa del Rey. “They were jumping out of the water, they were fantastic.”

The Monterey Bay, a rush of experience and a freeway for marine mammals.

Businesses say ten years ago you weren’t seeing as many majestic creatures.

“Monterey Bay completely out fished like overfished,” said Jeff Shindell with Princess Monterey Whale Watching.

The comeback of the Monterey Bay continues to bring more whales closer in.

“”This past spring and summer has been absolutely unprecedented,” said Shindell. “The activity here has been phenomenal.”

Sanctuary Cruises marine biologist Dorris Welch tells us the trend of more whales, particularly humpback whales, coming to the area can be attributed to the whale population increasing because they’re no longer hunted in the U.S., stricter fishing laws and because the number of anchovies close to shore has gone up.

More food means more whales.

“A lot of fish the last couple of years and with this being one of the primary feeding grounds for our humpback whales they’ve come here in pretty good numbers,” said Shindell.

Princess Monterey said right now you have about a 99 percent chance of seeing a whale.

“There was one humpback that came straight at us about 100 feet away,” said Teed Rockwell, of Berkeley, California. “It was just like wham, incredible.”

These sightings are not only helping out the whale-watching businesses but also nearby shops.

“The whale-watching business definitely help us improve our business,” said Ben Balester, with the Coffee House. “People come back when they have more time and they’ll get something to eat after their trips.”