Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation

Kayaker captures video of humpback whales feasting in San Francisco Bay

This article is more than 7 years old

The feeding frenzy lasted roughly half an hour before the mammals swam back to the Pacific Ocean under the Golden Gate Bridge

A kayaker captured video of humpback whales feasting on fish in a bay with the San Francisco skyline as a backdrop.

Lyrinda Snyderman of Berkeley, California, says she was out with three other kayakers to circle nearby Angel Island on Sunday when the group spotted the whales.

The longtime kayaker said it was the first time she had seen such feeding behavior from humpbacks in San Francisco Bay, and she was thrilled by it. She said the whales paid little attention to the kayakers as they repeatedly breached the surface to swallow up fish.

The feeding frenzy lasted roughly half an hour before the mammals swam back to Pacific Ocean under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Marine Mammal Center chief research pathologist Padraig Duignan said the whales are trying to maximize their food intake and following the herring and anchovies they are feeding on wherever they go.

The whales are migrating north after likely giving birth in the waters off Mexico and Central America.

Comments (…)

Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion

Most viewed

Most viewed