Coming in for the Krill

Cooler than usual temperatures might not have thrilled beach-goers this summer but it appears to have brought dozens of blue whales closer to shore than at any time anyone can remember.

"We've never had the blue whales come into Santa Monica Bay like they are now," said Natalie Massey, a longtime whale naturalist and volunteer with the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. "This is the first time we've had the blue whales come in such great numbers. It's been just amazing."

The blue whales are feeding on their main source of food, krill, in Redondo Canyon, just south of Redondo Pier about a mile off the coast.

It's not unusual for blue whales to be seen off the coast of Santa Barbara near the Channel Islands, or between Long Beach and Catalina Island during the summer. What is unusual is for blue whales to congregate so close to South Bay shores. Although fin whales are often seen feeding on krill in Redondo Canyon, the sight of dozens of the largest animal on the planet just a mile off the shore is unprecedented, whale watchers say. The whales are close enough to shore for adventuresome stand-up paddleboarders to reach out and nearly touch them as they surface.

Massey said a few blue whales ventured this close to shore in 2004, but nothing near the 20-30 that can routinely be seen these days in Redondo Canyon.

"This is the first time we've been able to come out of Redondo Beach and get on whales right away, like as soon as we get out of the harbor," said Massey, who volunteers as a guide aboard a local pleasure cruise boat.

Members of a local outrigger canoe team said when they paddled outside the harbor to practice one day last week, blue whales surfaced right next to their boat, which has never happened before—and the canoe club has been around for 40 years.

Cindy Day, a Redondo Beach resident who has been going on whale watching tours every year for the past 10 years, said this summer's tour was totally different from the others she has taken.

"There are so many more whales," Day said.

And people want to see them. Craig Stanton of Voyager Nature Cruises said some of this weekend's tours are already booked solid and so he is considering adding more.

Massey said the most common theory as to why the whales are here is that the water is so cold that the krill, shrimp-like invertebrates, are staying close to the surface. The windy weather may have pushed the krill farther into the Santa Monica Bay than usual, she said.

The whales are expected to continue feeding through October and possibly November. After that, they will head south to warmer waters near Costa Rica, where they mate.

After harpoon attacks nearly wiped out the species, the International Whaling Commission banned all hunting of blue whales in 1966. Only within the last few years has there been evidence that the numbers of the blue whales may be increasing. There are between 7,000 and 14,000 blue whales in the world, according to the American Cetacean Society.

Blue whales can grow up to 100 feet long and weigh as much as 150 tons.

Although the whales are now in Redondo Canyon, some can still be found near Santa Barbara and even Monterey, Massey said.

Will they return next year? Who knows. In past years, the tour boats have had to travel for an hour out to sea before spotting blue whales, and never encountered them in the numbers they have seen this year, whale naturalists said.

"We love having them here," Massey said. "They're such beautiful animals and they're so much fun to watch."