Saturday, October 3, 2026

Sunshine, Sea Lions, and Whale Tails Beyond the Golden Gate

Last Saturday brought another beautiful day on the water, with unusually warm weather, very little swell, and almost no wind. We headed slightly north toward the area where we had spotted whales the previous week, curious to see what we might find.

The Bay was quiet on the wildlife front, but once we passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, things began to pick up. Harbor porpoises appeared, along with a few sea lions swimming nearby. Farther offshore, green buoys doubled as prime sunbathing spots for groups of sea lions—clearly making the most of the weather.

After about 20 minutes of searching, we spotted our first whale relatively close to the boat. Two more soon appeared farther away, leaving us with whales to watch in several directions. One surfaced roughly 100 meters from the boat, giving us wonderful views as it came up for air before lifting its tail and diving below.

The whales’ appearances at the surface were brief, suggesting they may have been feeding deeper underwater. We spent another 20–25 minutes in the area, enjoying repeated sightings and some especially impressive views of one whale’s fluke—the broad tail revealed as it dove.

With calm seas, warm sunshine, and plenty of wildlife beyond the Golden Gate, it was a lovely day to be out on the wate