Humpback Duo Have Whale Of A Time Checking Out Monterey Bay Whale Watchers

Whale watchers in California ’s Monterey Bay got a treat when a pair of humpback whales hung around their boat for nearly an hour.

The big beasts breached, spouted, rolled over on their backs, nestled next to the boat and looked directly at the captivated watchers.

The whale fans were out on the water Saturday in the Atlantis Monterey, which is part of the fleet of the Princess Monterey Whale Watching tours. Monterey Bay, a marine sanctuary, offers some of the best year-round whale watching in the world .

Watchers are also enjoying an unusually large number  of blue whales , the largest creature on earth . It’s an odd time for blue whales to still be in the area, but climate change appears to be altering whale patterns along the coast as well as causing food shortages .

The last major whale event in the bay occurred last month when at least seven humpback whales were spotted double breaching seconds after a 4.7 magnitude earthquake was reported in nearby Hollister.