Blue Whales (Migrate July through October)
Click here for the "Blue Whale ACS Cetacean Fact Sheet"
Blue Whales travel alone or in pairs
Blue Whales blow up to 30 feet
Blue Whales dive under for 10 to 20 minutes between surfacing
When these whales surface, they may blow 8 to 15 times making shallow dives at 12 to 15 seconds between blows and before surfacing.
Blue Whales raise their flukes or tails before diving
Blue Whales have a U shaped head.
Humpback Whales (Migrate July through November )
Click here for the "Humpback Whale ACS Cetacean Fact Sheet"
Humpback Whales travel in groups of 1 to 10 whales
Humpback Whales blow 4 to 8 times between dives
Humpback Whales blow up to 10 feet in short bushy balloon shaped blows
Humpback Whales are nick named "Ballerinas of the sea" for their graceful breeches
Humpback Whales raise their flukes or tails before diving

Gray Whales (Migrate November through May)
Click here for the "Gray Whale ACS Cetacean Fact Sheet" Gray Whales travel groups of 1 to 5
Gray Whales blow 5 to 14 feet in V shaped blows
Gray Whales are not migrating as far north or as far south as they used to
This is because they are finding nutrient waters on the coast of California and Oregon
For this reason, Gray Whales are sometimes "resident" to certain areas
Gray Whales raise their flukes or tails before diving

Sperm Whales (Migrate November through April)
Click here for the "Sperm Whale ACS Cetacean Fact Sheet" Sperm Whales are up to 50 feet in length
Sperm Whales have a low blow up to 8 feet and forward
Sperm Whales have a dorsal lump and bumpy spine
Sperm Whales do not have a dorsal fin
Sperm Whales raise their flukes or tails before diving
Sperm Whales have a box car shaped head.
Sperm Whales are EXTREMELY rare to see in this area, and require a lot of whale watching patience. They have been spotted however out at the Continental Shelf and beyond.

Pacific White Sided Dolphin (California Coast June through November)
Pacific White Sided Dolphin are about 7 feet in length
Pacific White Sided Dolphin have 2 white body streaks
Pacific White Sided Dolphin have a tall falcate fine
Pacific White Sided Dolphin travel in groups of 5 to 100 dolphin
Pacific White Sided Dolphin are often in the company of other dophins or marine life


Dalls Porpoise SEE American Cetacean Society Fact Sheet www.acsonline.org
Risso's Dolphin See American Cetacean Society Fact Sheet www.acsonline.org
These Dolphin usually are found off shore.
We have spotted them on our trips in groups or chorus lines.
They are very playful and curious.
They have blunt heads and usually have lots of scars or markings.
On a particularly unusual event, when there was a shark watching crowd at the island, about 14 or so of them came into Moraga Bay at the SouthEast Farallons and went from boat to boat, then breeching in the surf at the point, circling back by every boat and leaving the area in the same fashion. A white shark even breeched to observe this. Many naturalists present can confirm this event. Northern Right-Whale Dolphin Northern Right-Whale Dolphin have no Dorsal Fin.
Northern Right-Whale Dolphin are Dark in Color sometimes with a white hourglass shape on underside.
Northern Right-Whale Dolphin like bow riding.
Are often found offshore.

Orca
See SFBayImages.com page on Orcas
. Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Suborder: Odontoceti
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Orcinus
Species: O. orca