Post
by JAMAUGHN » March 19th, 2017, 9:57 pm
Jonathan, do you know how far out in the Bay they were, and where they canoed out from, ie Santa Cruz, Monterey, or Moss Landing? My guess is the fin is the foreflipper of a California Sea Lion, and the spots are bits of water. I think the seal lion is doing a corkscrew dive, checking out the canoes. If this is a cetacean, the only likely candidates in the bay are Orca or a young Risso's Dolphin. I find it pretty unlikely either would surface just once, and no one would ever notice, or that either would be alone. Adult male orca sometimes travel alone, but... they have a six foot dorsal fin. I'm not seeing that. So, my guess is pinniped, mostly likely CA Sea Lion, or some sort of fish, perhaps a Mola at a funny angle, starting to flop over, as Mola are apt to do at the surface.
JimM