Killers of the Deep

Stumblebum

Around this time of the year, Grey whale calves fatten up and start to migrate towards Alaska and pass through Monterey Bay. Orcas camp out there and prevent some of them from getting to their summer home!

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JAG

Great captures SB. Numbers 13 and 14 really stand out to me. Kudos!

Cygnus Studios

What a great series.

Cavalier

Taz, you hit the mark again. Love all the breaching shots. Can I ask if you were on a boat or were these from the shore?

roaddog52

Really great set Taz!!! What a great, exciting day it must have been.

Phil

Stumblebum

Thanks so much Joyce, Steve, Jo and Phil! Can't say that enough!

Jo, it was from boat....Monterey Bay Whale watch has 8 hour tours that go longer if they find the whales......
I tried it couple of times after waiting for couple of years to try and hit the spot when chances are max....

Sometimes they breach straight up but I haven't seen it yet......you are supposed to catch them right after a kill when they celebrate....

Cheers all!

[Deleted User]

Weel done is a huge understatement. Some of the "close-ups" have an impressive effect, but I have a weakness for the last one - it has a special mood.

Cygnus Studios

@Stumblebum said:
Monterey Bay Whale watch has 8 hour tours that go longer if they find the whales......

Isn't this a little late in the year? Seems to me that the peak migration was Jan through Mar for the grey's to come up along the coast?

I know that the Orca's come and go as they please without a dedicated time of year. In the summer, they can be found near the Farallon's pretty regularly. Maybe chasing sharks???

Richard

Great set, Taz. I think I agree with others who singled out #14, mainly for the color of the sky; oh yeah, and the whale . I also really like #4 and #12. Well done.

Stumblebum

@Cygnus Studios yes Steve its late now....mid-May is kind of end of it but you can get lucky

@Richard Thanks much. Yeah, Dolphin takes it! Cheers!

MoonMan04

Pictures 4 and 5 are fantastic! I'm Currently in South America which I hope to do some whale watching off the coast of Ecuador!

Stumblebum

Thanks MoonMan! Hope you score! South America is loaded with opportunities, especially Ecuador! Not just whales.....but they have cloud forest near Quito....chance to photograph all kinds of critters.....they also have condors nearby.

pathfinder

I like the color in 14, but wish the Orca was a bit earlier in its jump.

I also like 6 a lot.

Whales and Orcas are great fun to watch, aren't they?

Stumblebum

Thanks Jim! Yeah, timing is very very hard......you don't know when and where they come out of water.....after studying them for a while I realized that they give one breath....and that lets me know where they are.....and then if they don't change their mind they might remain on that course and come out for another.....and since I am at zoom....I have to guess the area where that might be....less than a second is what we got most of the time. With choppy seas, just staying up straight is a challenge and while you are doing that you have to score in that second.

The thrill of watching them is indescribable! I learned Orcas communicate with each other for miles away. We were a on a group of them, and all of a sudden whole group took off. The captain stayed with them......and 10 miles later we found there was kill by other Orcas and they came from every direction. They don't fight over food and share. Some feed and rest calmly circle till it is their turn. Very family oriented. Then we had the baby Orca vocalize on the surface coming to check us out and acknowledging us!

Just impressive creatures......can't wait till next year! Cheers!

kdog

Wow, these are amazing, Taz. What an awesome trip you had.

Stumblebum

Thanks k-dog!

Brody

I've never seen this great of a series from one trip - I'd be thrilled if I could just see this one time! Photos would be a plus, but just the memory would be enough. Very well done!

Mitchell

Great shots! I really like #4

Juano

Great work Taz

joshhuntnm

Stunning; good work.

shawnc

Amazing images! Love , 6, 7, 11, 14.
Number 14 has it for me. Wonderful series, tells a story.

black mamba

I can't praise this work enough. Stunning performance, my friend. How you pulled this caper off in such rough water is amazing.

JonaBeth Russell

These are fantastic, Taz! You really captured the pod life of these majestic sea mammals 😍

Juano

Well done Taz!

David_S85

I just found this thread four years late. Fantastic images, especially 14.

TonyBritton

What an incredibly rewarding experience this must have been. Superb photos. Congratulations!

Tony

spanky117ab

Wow what an awesome collection of fantastic photos. My guess is you had a grin from ear to ear as you were taking them. Mike

Juano

Fantastic set! Where is this? I agree with others that 14 combines several elements that makes the pic appealing. 13 is great too!

I realize I had already commented on this, but stumbled on them again and felt compelled.

spanky117ab

Wow what an awesome photoset of these magnificent creatures so very well done.