SeaGoddess Whale Watching
One week after my birthday we had booked a SeaGoddess cruise in Monterey Bay. It was supposed to be my birthday celebration with friends, but unfortunately very few could make it. We ended up with just one person being 100% sure they could make it. So instead me and Nick cancelled it and went by ourselves which worked great too :) This was a whale watching cruise which has been on our bucket list for the longest time. It was perfect to do this in October when the weather was just right.
These cuties were enjoying the sunshine in the harbor...
While waiting for everyone to board the boat, we compared thumbs. Lol, we love doing that once in a while. Especially when I have long nails it becomes extra obvious just how tiny my fingers are compared to Nick's!
One of the absolute highlights was this beach where HUNDREDS of sea lions, otters and birds hung out. We could hardly believe our eyes (or ears! ...boy they were loud). It was beautiful to see such a big part of the wildlife living there in peace. Although apparently the whales have started to figure out that this is the sea lions new home, so they tend to hunt around this area.
Soo...the boat ride out on the ocean was quite a shock! I really think they should have written a warning about it on their website, for old people and children or people in general. Because even me and Nick got kind of freaked out! The waves were huge! We flew up about 9 feet in the air, then WHAM... landed in the ocean again with water and people flying and gliding all over the place. Holding on while sitting on the bench in the front was not easy since there were no railings around and the boat kept tipping from one side to the other. We sure laughed... nervously! It was an adventure and I am glad we did it but boy, what a ride... haha!
An attempt to QUICKLY take selfies in the middle of waves!
It was hard to take a picture of the waves but here it is.
Then there it was... a humpback whale!!
Beauty! It wasn't easy to get good pictures or videos since the boat kept flying up and down among the waves. But I still got plenty of opportunities to capture these pretty animals on camera.
Holding on for dear life, trying not to drop my phone...
It was unclear how many whales we saw, but it was definitely enough for us! The only disappointment was that there were no Killer Whales. According to the crew they are more common in the area around lunch time.
Cutest little otter chillin' in the water!!
Back with the sea lions and birds. This view was even better at sunset.
After the cruise the plan was to eat dinner at a place called Il Vecchio. But instead we went back to San Jose and ate at BJs. We tried their potato skins for the first time.. yum!
What a great day with my hubby :) I was a bit sad about not celebrating my birthday with friends at all this year. Normally I have at least had Sofie. But this year it was just me and Nick and to be honest, it was nice getting a break from everything and just going away with him :)
I made a video of our trip that really captures the feeling :)