Humpack Whales Surfacing

Whales feed remarkably close to shore at Moss Landing because of what lies beneath the beach. The head of Monterey Canyon reaches to within roughly 500 meters of the sand, and the canyon itself cuts deeper than the Grand Canyon. Cold water rising along that steep underwater topography concentrates plankton and the small schooling fish that eat it. The result is a full-scale feeding ground packed into the nearshore strip, close enough that a humpback's blow carries to people standing on the dunes.