On Tuesday, a day before a storm rolled into Southern California, three humpback whales were encountered under ideal conditions off Newport Beach.
It turned out to be a rare and magical experience for those on the Newport Coastal Adventure excursion, as one of the whales was a calf or young juvenile, less than a year old, learning to feed on schooling anchovies.
Stunning aerial footage, captured by Chelsea Mayer, shows the anchovies tightly bunched into a massive bait ball, and the young whale following the lead of the adults as they lunge through the ball, ingesting thousands of anchovies per gulp.
Mayer, a photographer for Newport Coastal Adventure, wrote on Instagram: “This is the first time I’ve seen multiple whales lunge feeding together in Newport Beach, and it’s no wonder – look at the size of that bait ball!”
One of the adult whales could be the mom, but it could also be that the young whale, recently weened, is merely tagging along with two larger companions.
Young humpback whale (left) follows the adults’ lead. Photo: Chelsea Mayer/Newport Coastal Adventure
Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a Southern California-based whale researcher, told For The Win that humpback whale calves are born between December and March, and usually separate from their moms in late summer.
It’s likely that this trio is migrating from Central California to spend the winter off Mexico.