Morro Bay Whale Report

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Wondering what the whales are doing in Morro Bay right now? You're in the right place.

Our Morro Bay Whale Report features firsthand observations from the captains and crew at Lost Isle Adventures. We share recent whale sightings, feeding activity, dolphins and other marine wildlife, along with the ocean conditions we're experiencing on the water.

These aren't predictions or guarantees—they're real observations from our recent trips. Whales are wild animals, bait moves, and conditions can change quickly, which is why every day on the water can tell a completely different story.

You'll occasionally see names like Church Rock, North Church Rock, and 20 Minute Rock in our reports. These are local names for underwater features and reference points off Morro Bay—not rocks you'll see sticking out of the water. Our captains use these familiar locations to describe where we're finding whales, dolphins, bait, and other marine life.

You'll also see familiar landmarks and areas such as Morro Rock, the continental shelf, Cayucos, Montaña de Oro, and Spooner's Cove as we follow wildlife and changing concentrations of bait along the Central Coast.

Below you'll find our most recent daily reports. To explore earlier sightings and follow the season over time, visit our Morro Bay Whale Report Blog, where previous reports are collected and archived.

No whale-watching report from offshore today. High winds and building seas made conditions outside the harbor unsuitable for the trip, so we made the call to keep our whale-watching boat at the dock.

We contacted everyone booked with us and gave them the option to move their reservation to a day with better conditions or receive a full refund. For guests who couldn't make another day but still wanted to spend some time on the water, we were able to stay inside the protection of Morro Bay for a harbor cruise and enjoy some of the local wildlife around the bay.

After several excellent days around Church Rock, we're anxious to get back offshore and see where the whales have moved. The good news is that conditions for tomorrow, October 12, are looking much more favorable, with lighter morning winds and a calmer ocean expected.

Weather days are part of whale watching on the open Pacific. We watch the conditions closely and make our decisions based on what we believe will provide a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone aboard. Sometimes that means waiting a day—and tomorrow we're hoping to be right back out there looking for whales.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

Our 9:30 AM trip headed back west toward Church Rock this morning. The swell had picked up slightly compared with the last few days, but conditions were still good as we made our way offshore.

Near North Church Rock, in about 365 feet of water, we found three humpback whales traveling south and actively searching for food. They were a good group to watch, but they were definitely on the move, keeping us moving along with them. We also noticed another change offshore today: water temperatures in the deeper water had dropped to around 68 degrees, compared with the 71-degree water we've been seeing closer to shore over the last few days. We even spotted a mola mola along the way, which is always a treat.

Our newest boat, Little Buzz, was also on the water today for a private tour. Little Buzz is much faster than our larger whale-watching boat and gives us the ability to cover a lot of water quickly. During the trip, the captain spotted a young humpback breaching in the distance and headed over for a closer look.

The group arrived just in time for an incredible show. The young whale continued its acrobatic performance, breaching about 10 times before Little Buzz had to turn around and make its way back to the dock. Between the three humpbacks near Church Rock, a mola mola, and an energetic young whale putting on a show for our private group, it was another great October day on the water.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

Our 9:30 AM trip headed back west toward Church Rock this morning. The swell had picked up slightly compared with the last few days, but conditions were still good as we made our way offshore.

Near North Church Rock, in about 365 feet of water, we found three humpback whales traveling south and actively searching for food. They were a good group to watch, but they were definitely on the move, keeping us moving along with them. We also noticed another change offshore today: water temperatures in the deeper water had dropped to around 68 degrees, compared with the 71-degree water we've been seeing closer to shore over the last few days. We even spotted a mola mola along the way, which is always a treat.

Our newest boat, Little Buzz, was also on the water today for a private tour. Little Buzz is much faster than our larger whale-watching boat and gives us the ability to cover a lot of water quickly. During the trip, the captain spotted a young humpback breaching in the distance and headed over for a closer look.

The group arrived just in time for an incredible show. The young whale continued its acrobatic performance, breaching about 10 times before Little Buzz had to turn around and make its way back to the dock. Between the three humpbacks near Church Rock, a mola mola, and an energetic young whale putting on a show for our private group, it was another great October day on the water.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

Today was a little different from our normal public whale-watching trips. We had the pleasure of welcoming back a large group of students from Visalia for their third year visiting Morro Bay. Their day included time aboard our Tiki Boat, trips out on the ocean, a chance to learn about the maritime history of our area at the Morro Bay Maritime Museum, and a visit with representatives from Sea Otter Savvy.

With such a large group, we divided the students into four groups for their time on the ocean. Each trip was about 90 minutes, which gave everyone a chance to get outside the harbor and experience the open water. Because of the limited time, we weren't able to run far enough offshore to search for whales, but the local wildlife still put on a great show. Three of our four groups encountered fantastic groups of dolphins, giving the students an up-close look at some of the marine mammals that call our coastline home.

One of our main topics aboard the boat was plastic particulates in the water column and how plastics can work their way through the marine environment and affect local marine mammals. Being able to have that conversation while actually out on the ocean gives the students a firsthand connection to what they're learning.

This is a fantastic group, and one we look forward to seeing every year. After three years of welcoming these students to Morro Bay, it's become a trip we genuinely look forward to. We're already excited to have them back again next year.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

Another beautiful October morning on the water. With light winds and a small swell, conditions were excellent for our 9:30 AM departure. We headed west out of Morro Bay, returning to the cooler coastal water around Church Rock, where we hoped to find whales feeding.

Just north of Church Rock, we encountered four humpback whales in a small feeding frenzy. The whales were particularly curious this morning, approaching our vessel several times and giving everyone aboard some incredible close encounters. We also enjoyed several excellent looks at their tails as they dove. Along the way, small groups of common dolphins were scattered between the harbor entrance and Church Rock.

By our 1:30 PM departure, the ocean remained calm, although the swell had increased slightly. We headed back toward Church Rock and found that the number of whales in the area had grown considerably. Multiple groups were spread throughout the same general area, with an estimated 12–15 humpbacks in total.

The afternoon whales were moving around quite a bit and weren't as curious about the boat as the morning group. However, the afternoon delivered a spectacular moment when one humpback launched completely out of the water in a full breach. It was an incredible sight and a highlight of the afternoon trip.

With calm seas, feeding whales, close encounters, dolphins, and a full breach, October 8 delivered another outstanding day of whale watching off Morro Bay.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

For our 9:30 departure this morning, we headed west as we continued looking for the cooler water that has been holding whales and bait over the last several days.

As we made our way offshore, we could see several spouts well to the south, so we changed course and headed in their direction.

About five miles off Montana de Oro, we found a group of eight humpback whales.

The whales appeared to be feeding deeper in the water column, spending much of their time below the surface. With the unusually warm surface temperatures we've been seeing recently, the cooler water has been deeper, and the whales appeared to be following bait associated with that colder water.

Conditions offshore were excellent, with light winds and calm seas making for a comfortable morning on the water.

It has been interesting watching the whales shift farther offshore and into deeper water over the last several days as we've continued to see unusually warm surface temperatures closer to Morro Bay.

Eight humpbacks together made the run south well worth it.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

For our 9:30 departure this morning, we went looking for something very specific—colder water.

Surface temperatures close to Morro Bay have remained unusually warm, so we headed farther offshore to see if we could find cooler water and, hopefully, the whales along with it.

We found both approximately eight and a half miles from the Morro Bay Harbor entrance.

Conditions were beautiful—sunny, unusually warm for Morro Bay, and very calm. Once we reached the colder water, we found a group of eight humpback whales.

Their behavior was noticeably different from what we'd been seeing in the warmer water. Dive cycles were shorter, and we were getting frequent looks at their tails as the whales moved through the area.

The calm conditions and incredible water clarity also allowed us to capture some amazing aerial footage of the whales moving through the crystal-clear water.

For our 1:30 departure, we headed back toward the same area, but the whales had already started moving closer to shore. This time we found all eight approximately seven miles from the harbor entrance.

And compared with the morning, they were putting on quite a show.

We saw repeated breaching and tail slapping, followed by three incredible lunge-feeding events. All eight whales came toward the surface together as they worked the bait up from deeper water.

We even saw tuna hitting the surface during all the activity.

After several days of unusually warm surface water and whales spending more time in deeper water, today was particularly interesting. We deliberately searched for colder water in the morning and found eight humpbacks there. By the afternoon, those same whales had moved about a mile and a half closer to shore and were actively feeding.

Eight whales, crystal-clear water, breaches, tail slapping, three group lunge feeds, and tuna at the surface made October 6 one of our most active days in a while.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

Our 9:30 departure started with sunshine and beautiful conditions, but once we were about two miles offshore, another thick fog bank moved into the area and significantly reduced our visibility.

Common dolphins were once again spread throughout the area, continuing the incredible run of dolphin activity we've been seeing over the last several days.

The humpbacks were much farther offshore today. We eventually found five whales approximately six miles from the Morro Bay Harbor entrance in about 450 feet of water.

Surface water temperatures remain unusually warm, with readings in the high 60s to low 70s, and the water clarity continues to be exceptional.

Based on what we were seeing, the whales appeared to be searching deeper in the water column for bait, possibly taking advantage of colder water below the unusually warm surface layer.

We also noticed something concerning today—a number of dead juvenile seabirds on the water. With the unusually warm surface temperatures and apparent lack of accessible bait near the surface, it's possible food availability is playing a role, but we can't determine the cause from our observations alone.

Despite the fog, conditions on the water remained comfortable with light winds and a light swell.

Five humpbacks in deep water, dolphins throughout the area, exceptionally clear water, and unusually warm ocean temperatures made for another interesting October morning off Morro Bay.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

There were dolphins everywhere for our 9:30 departure this morning, spread throughout water ranging from approximately 100 to 300 feet deep.

One of the biggest things we noticed today was the water temperature. About three miles offshore, our instruments were reading approximately 70 degrees—exceptionally warm water for this area. It was also an extremely hot day by Morro Bay standards.

We found two humpback whales during the morning trip, and for a short period they became curious and mugged the boat. We stopped and maintained our position while the whales approached us on their own.

After that brief encounter, their behavior changed considerably. The whales began making very long dives, leaving us waiting quite a while between surfacing.

By our 1:30 departure, we had to travel much farther south to find a humpback. We eventually located one whale in approximately 305 feet of water.

This whale was also making long dives, but there were still plenty of common dolphins throughout the area to keep us busy between whale sightings.

Another thing that really stood out today was the visibility beneath the surface. We could see more than 30 feet down into the water in some areas, making it some of the clearest water we've seen off Morro Bay in years.

Between the unusually warm 70-degree water, exceptional underwater visibility, dolphins seemingly everywhere, and three humpback encounters between the two trips, October is already giving us some unusual conditions to watch.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

Conditions were fantastic for our 9:30 departure this morning. The ocean was very calm, the weather was unusually warm for Morro Bay, and we headed offshore with clear skies and excellent visibility.

About 40 minutes into the trip, everything changed.

A large fog bank moved into the area and quickly reduced our visibility to around 100 feet or less. 

The fog became extremely dense, making it difficult to search the surrounding water for spouts or other signs of whales.

Unfortunately, with such limited visibility, we weren't able to locate any whales during the morning trip.

We did, however, get a great surprise when we came across a beautiful ocean sunfish. We don't see them on every trip, so getting a good look at one was a real treat.

By our 1:30 departure, the fog was still lingering offshore, but visibility had improved considerably to around half a mile.

This time, we found the whales.

We encountered two humpbacks, including one with a very distinctive tail. Approximately half of its fluke was missing and appeared to have been bitten off at some point in the whale's life.

The encounter quickly turned into one of the most active we've had recently.

The whales spent approximately 20 minutes mugging the boat, approaching and remaining around us while we were stopped. At the same time, one of the whales became incredibly active at the surface and seemed like it simply didn't want to stop jumping.

We counted approximately 30 breaches during the encounter.

After a morning when dense fog prevented us from finding a single whale, the afternoon couldn't have been more different—two extremely active humpbacks, an extended mugging of the boat, and roughly 30 breaches.

It was an incredible turnaround and another perfect example of how quickly a day on the ocean can change.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane

Conditions were very calm for our 9:30 departure this morning, with a two- to three-foot swell and winds under five miles per hour.

The dolphins put on an even bigger show than yesterday.

We encountered a massive group of more than 1,000 common dolphins, with activity spread throughout the area. But the dolphins weren't the only wildlife keeping us busy.

We also had at least 10 to 12 humpback whales in shallow water only about half a mile outside the Morro Bay Harbor entrance.

There was plenty of bait visible at the surface, and the whales were making frequent, relatively short dives. With such short intervals between surfacings, we were able to spend a lot of time watching the whales as they moved through the area.

By our 1:30 departure, things had changed considerably.

We returned to the same area near the half-mile buoy, but most of the morning's activity had moved on. The large group of dolphins was gone, and only two humpback whales remained.

The two whales were also behaving differently from what we'd seen in the morning. Their dives were considerably longer, giving us a much quieter afternoon encounter.

It's always interesting to see how quickly the ocean can change. In the morning, more than 1,000 dolphins and 10 to 12 humpbacks were concentrated within about half a mile of the harbor entrance. 

Just a few hours later, the dolphins had moved on and only two whales remained in the same area.

A great example of why no two trips are ever exactly the same.

Fair winds, and we'll see you on the water.

— Captain Dane