We travelled to Monterray Bay on a whim after Helena sent us a lovely article on Sea Otters.
We parked up at Fishermans Wharf and walked about 25 yard along the pier, when there in the sea at the right of us was a Sea Otter! We were astonished as they are so rare - there are apparently about 2,000 now after they were almost hunted to extinction in the early 1900's.
After that first sighting, over the next couple of days, we watched 23 Otters, two of which had young. I watched one mother leave her baby by a buoy while she dived down for Scallops The baby swam in little circles until Mum returned; Mum swam under the baby, then flipped it onto her chest. They then both enjoyed her seafood find together. I dont think we could ever tire of watching these incredible, cute little creatures.
The Bay is also home to Sea Lions, Harbour Seals and Pelicans due to the presence of fishermen who clean off their fish on the piers and feed the rejected parts to the wildlife.
In the evening, we watched a family group of 13 raccoons on Fishermans Wharf, who were clearly accustomed to being fed by sightseers and were wholly entertaining.
We went on a 3 hour boat trip to see the Blue Whales and Humpback Whales who frequent the channel, six miles out, which is rich in food. We were not disappointed, seeing 2 of each type of whale, very clearly. The only downside was the passengers, who had not come prepared for the trip, even though hand outs advised them to take warm clothing, water, sea sickness tablets, sunscreen, sun glasses etc. The number of people who were sea sick was astonishing, especially as the sea was not that rough!
We also took a drive down the 17 mile Scenic highway to Carmel, where Clint Eastwood was mayor, which was an absolute rip off at $9.95, when Highway 1 has even better coastal views for free!
Monterray is incredible, sophisticated, charming and teeming with wonderful wildlife; personally, I think Otis Redding sang 'Dock of the Bay' for here rather than San Fransisco!
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