MOSS LANDING, Calif.-- Changing weather patterns in Central Coast waters is bringing in more food for marine life which means more people are wanting to come out and see these animals. The impact from the hundreds of whales migrating to the area is helping dozens of local businesses.
Tour boats have been completely packed on the Monterey Bay with tourists from all over the country. Kate Cummings is a Naturalist and sees these wild animals on a daily basis. She says it's unique to see this many marine mammals come to the Central Coast all at the same time. "When there's a real good feeding area, whales are going to be coming from every direction and congregating at one spot and right now there's so many that are coming to the Monterey Bay specifically," said Cummings.
Kate and Captain Jim Davis own Blue Ocean Whale Watch. They say this is their biggest peak season in years and this year the most popular sighting has been the humpback whales. "It was definitely exciting, we saw whales and dolphins, sea otters and sea lions, said Helena Bartkowski.
Kate says when the boat group goes out on tours, they see lots of different animals. "We had a couple of blue whale sightings. There have been some fin whale sightings which are the second longest after the blue whale. They get to be 80 feet out here its pretty amazing," said Cummings.
Tourist boats are packed and booked as far as two weeks in advance but its not just businesses on the water raking in big bucks. More whales doesn't just bring in a lot of tourists, it also brings in a lot of business for local shops and restaurants.
The Whole Enchilada Owner Ray Crete says every summer they always see more customers. "All the businesses whether its whale watching or restaurants, food stands or anything pertaining to that really has a great impact," says Crete.
Word is still spreading about the self-proclaimed whale watching capitol of the world. Blue Ocean Whale Watch Captain Jim Davis says he has seen people visit Moss Landing from all over the world that speak highly of the whale touring in Monterey Bay. "Recent clients yesterday, we asked them 'how did you find us?' They said it was in a blog in France," said Davis.
