Gray whales traveling through Monterey Bay make for amazing drone video

Amazing video captured by Monterey Bay Whale Watch shows a pod of 12 gray whales traveling through the Monterey Bay.

According to Nancy Black, Marine Biologist and owner of Monterey Bay Whale Watch, the whales are currently on their southbound migration now, traveling from Alaska to Mexico where they will have their calves and mate in three warm, shallow lagoons on the west coast of Baja, California.

This is the largest group of whales they have seen this season as it is close to the peak of the Southern migration. During mid January to early February, the number of Gray Whales passing by Monterey Bay per day is greatest, according to Black. There is an overlap in mid February as the first Grays leave the lagoons to head north back to Alaska and the last Grays arrive to Baja. The northbound migration continues through early April.

The second phase of the northbound migration occurs during April and May when the Gray Whale mothers and calves head north past Monterey Bay and that is when the Killer Whales arrive to Monterey Bay to hunt those calves.

Monterey is the best place to watch these whales as they are a coastal, shallow (less than 300′) water whale in their habitat preference. Due to the Monterey Submarine Canyon, which is the largest and deepest canyon along the West coast and the only one that approaches close to the shoreline, Gray Whales are more concentrated and found closer to shore off Monterey than anywhere else along their migration route.

Monterey Bay Whale Watch (gowhales.com) offers daily trips to view these whales and other marine life.