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Robin Brun has been watching whales for 35 years, from the coast of Maine to Cape Cod — where she worked on a whale-watching boat — to the city of Pacifica, where she’s lived for the past decade.
So it was only natural that in June 2021 she started Pacifica Whalespotting, a public Facebook group devoted to sharing whale sightings in town.
The group largely attracted Pacifica residents initially, but with several dozen whales congregating close to shore in recent weeks, Pacifica Whalespotting has seen its membership skyrocket, jumping from 5,000 members on July 17 to roughly 17,600 members as of Aug. 15. And as awareness of the group and the whales’ presence grows, so does a community of whale watchers that now expands far beyond Pacifica.
“I was joking on my page that I’m sorry for creating so many addicts,” Brun said. “The struggle is real.”
Why the whales are here
Whales are present off the coast much of the year, with humpback whales around in the spring and summer before typically heading south to their breeding grounds in October or November, and gray whales migrating south in the winter before heading back up north in the spring, according to Jennifer Stock, media liaison for Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries (part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA). Other types of whales that can also be spotted locally include blue whales, orcas and fin whales.
The humpback whales currently visible off the coast in Pacifica come from two groups – one that breeds off the coast of Mexico and one that breeds off of Central America, Stock said. Whales have been spotted so close to shore because it’s a hot spot for small schooling fish and krill. Most of the time, this source of food is spread out along the continental shelf, but right now it’s being pushed to shore, Stock said.
Another factor at play is an ocean process called upwelling. From spring through late summer, seasonal winds and the Earth’s rotation cause water to get pushed offshore and replaced with cold water that’s full of nutrients for whales.
Because whales follow their prey, their presence can be ephemeral. A common question on the Pacifica Whalespotting page is whether the whales will be around at a specific time of day during a visit to the coast.
“Nature is wild and we never know what’s going to happen – that’s one of the beauties of the ocean,” Stock said. “They’re going to go where the food is and the food will go where conditions are right for them, and it’s completely unpredictable.”
For Chris Campo, a Pacifica resident and an administrator for the Pacifica Whalespotting group, the uncertainty makes the whale-watching experience all the more special.
“You know it’s time-boxed and limited,” he said. “It makes it more magical to look at them while they’re here.”
Watching the water
Campo moved to the south end of Pacifica in 2020 and lives four blocks from Linda Mar Beach (also known as Pacifica State Beach). He lived a few miles inland from the beach as a San Diego resident in the late ‘90s, but he said he didn’t take an interest in whales until he moved to the San Mateo County coast.
“When I saw these whales I was like, ‘Wow, this is a pretty unique thing,’” Campo said. “It really caught my imagination.”
Back then, Pacifica Whalespotting didn’t exist, but Pacifica residents would post pictures of whales and alert each other to their presence on websites like Nextdoor. Campo bought a camera and started photographing whales himself, but pictures taken by another resident, David Chamberlin, caught his eye.
“I noticed that David Chamberlin had posted pretty stunning pictures of birds and whales in various groups,” Campo said. “I thought, ‘This dude is posting these amazing photos of the whales. I’m trying to take some, but this guy is clearly a level up from that.”
Campo bumped into Chamberlin at the Pacifica Pier in 2021 and asked how he was able to get such up-close shots of the whales. Chamberlin advised him to get closer to the whales by looking for them at the pier, where visitors can get within 20 yards of whales, Campo said.
Campo started going to the pier regularly, but the whales weren’t always there. In June 2021, Robin Brun founded Pacifica Whalespotting, creating a go-to source for residents to share whale sightings. Campo and Chamberlin joined and now serve as administrators for the Facebook group.
“(Starting the group) seemed like a good idea because there are so many whales around, and I just wanted to share that with people and help them by telling them where you’re spotting them,” said Brun, a freelance graphic designer and artist.
Campo began a daily routine that he still follows – a drive from the south end of Pacifica along the coast looking for whales, followed by a morning whale status report in the Pacifica Whalespotting group. His job as an engineering director is hybrid, giving him the opportunity to head outdoors in search of whales a few times a day during the week.
Until the recent spate of whale sightings, Campo said he’d often go without seeing a whale or would see one further out in the ocean. But right now, he estimates around 50 whales are coming close to shore from the south end of Pacifica to the north.
“Right now they’re very close to shore – you do not need binoculars to appreciate them,” he said.
When the whales are around, Campo says the best place to see them up close is the Pacifica Pier, assuming they come close. He also likes going on trail runs along Linda Mar Beach to Aramai Point (also called the Rockaway Headlands), which has views of Linda Mar and Rockaway beaches, and going to Mori Point near the pier.
Brun says Mussel Rock, just north of town in Daly City, is one of her favorite whale-watching spots. Another is the northern end of the San Francisco RV Resort in Pacifica, which Brun says is “probably the warmest place you can watch them.” She makes an effort to check for whales at least once a day and sometimes spends hours outside watching them.
“It’s just this shock and awe of it,” she said. “It’s just so awesome and exhilarating.”
A community takes shape
As time went on, more people joined in on posting whale sightings in the Facebook group and it started to get momentum, Campo said. But this year, Pacifica Whalespotting “caught fire.”
“Up until this year I think it was steadily growing (in) membership but still pretty much a local thing,” he said. “I’m not sure what happened – part of it is we’ve had so many whales around since July – now the group membership is gigantic. There are people from all over the place watching the group.”
With its membership now approaching 20,000, the Pacifica Whalespotting community spans the globe, from Canada to Pakistan and Bangladesh. About 1,600 members are Pacifica residents, and cities throughout the Bay Area are well-represented.
The Facebook group has also driven people from outside the region to Pacifica. Brun has heard anecdotes of whale watchers who traveled from Reno, Nevada, Montana and Portland, Oregon.
Pacifica Whalespotting’s impact has been as significant as its reach. One woman told Brun how tracking the whales through the group has helped her as she undergoes chemotherapy for breast cancer. Another woman posted in the group that she and her mother, who have lived in San Francisco for more than 20 years, were able to see whales for the first time thanks to Pacifica Whalespotting. Strangers have stopped Brun on the pier to hug her, thank her and offer high-fives and fist bumps.
“Even though it started out online, it’s become this community where we hang out and watch whales together, and all these friendships are forming because of it,” Brun said.
For Campo, whale watching is a mesmerizing experience that’s “hard to even wrap your head around.”
“When I was a kid, I really liked dinosaurs: They’re just these gigantic creatures, and a whale is like that,” he said. “Watching all of this unfold not in a National Geographic documentary, but in front of you – that is just amazing to me and I never get sick of it.”
With increased awareness and appreciation of whales also comes an opportunity to think about how humans can do their part to help the species. Being mindful of plastic consumption and shopping locally are examples of practices people can undertake, NOAA’s Jennifer Stock said. Getting struck by ships is “one of the biggest threats to whales,” and online purchases often come from other countries on container ships, she said.
“Having the opportunity to see animals of this size so up close generates a lot of awe and excitement that helps us feel more connected to living things in this world,” she said. “My hope is when people experience that, they have more awareness of how they’re able to help animals.”
How to spot whales
If you’re clamoring to see whales, be prepared for the possibility that you may not see them right away – or at all.
“The longer you can stay, the higher the chance you can see a whale,” Campo said. “Make a day of it. Spend some time in Pacifica, spend a lot of time looking at our group and if you see a post, zip right to that area.”
Patience is also key for those hoping to photograph whales. Freelance photographer Tony Corso, a Pacifica Whalespotting group moderator who became a member in March, is relatively new to whale photography. A retired teacher who moved to San Bruno from Texas in November, he saw whales for the first time seven years ago on a whale-watching tour in Monterey Bay. In Texas, he was chasing storms and football games for photo opps – not whales.
“It’s borderline addictive,” Corso said of his whale-watching habit. “All the photographers, we joke we’re going to need a support group or something when the whales go.”
Corso said that while it helps to have longer camera lenses to capture close-ups of the whales, “there’s an old saying among photographers that the best camera to have is the one that’s in your hand.”
“Don’t get caught up trying to get that award-winning photograph and enjoy the experience of the whale,” he said. “If you do get a picture of it, it’s icing on the cake.”
Brun and Campo advised whale watchers to check out fellow group member David Chamberlin’s detailed guides to watching and photographing whales, which are located under the featured tab in the Facebook group. Chamberlin also made live webcams accessible so visitors can get a sense of the conditions before they head to the coast.
“Unless you’re very lucky, you can’t just roll up to some specific spot at some specific time, see a bunch of whales and then leave,” Chamberlin writes in his whale-watching guide. “Watching the Whale Spotting Facebook group helps quite a bit, but even with that, you’ll often need some patience. The nice part is that there’s almost always a nice view and other interesting things to look at while you wait.”
And even if you don’t see whales, the animal kingdom still has much to offer Coastside visitors.
“My message would be for people to come out and enjoy the ocean and what else is out there to enjoy,” Stock said. “There are seabirds, harbor seals, sea lions and hopefully whales as well.”
If you’re able to see whales up close, take precautions to avoid getting too close and disturbing them.
“It’s really special to have whales so close to shore, but it’s not an invitation to try and come swim and paddle with them,” Stock said. Boaters are also required to stay at least 300 yards away from whales and keep propellers off if they’re nearby.
As the whales draw visitors to Pacifica, Campo acknowledged there’s some wariness among residents who “don’t want it trampled” amid the excitement. At the same time, he says the whales are “a treasure that should be accessible to others.”
“For anyone coming to Pacifica, be respectful – don’t leave trash on our beaches, drop some cash at businesses here,” he said.
With Pacifica Whalespotting reaching new audiences, Brun is looking toward the future while relishing the whales’ presence. Someone started a San Francisco whale-watching group and she’s hoping to help boost them, and she’s thinking about making Pacifica Whalespotting merch (Brun designed the group’s logo.)
In the meantime, she’s counting all the ways the whales are making an impact. They’re bringing business to town, turning kids into budding environmentalists, fostering community and getting people off their phones and out in nature, she said.
“The excitement and joy it brings to so many people has been really amazing,” Brun said. “It’s been building this incredible community. I’m just blown away by it myself.”
Whale-watching resources
Links
Pacifica Whalespotting Facebook group: The homepage for the Pacifica Whalespotting group.
Pacifica View: Pacifica resident and group member David Chamberlin’s page with live webcams, whale watching and photography guides, a map of whale-watching hot spots and more.
Happy Whale: A website for submitting photos of whales. They can be identified through their unique markings and then tracked around the world.
Where to Go Whale Watching on the Bay Area Coast: A quick guide by Peninsula Open Space Trust.
Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary website: Information on responsible wildlife watching, federal laws protecting marine mammals and more.
Where to watch whales
Mussel Rock, Skyline and Westline drives, Daly City
San Francisco RV Resort (northern end), 700 Palmetto Ave., Pacifica
Aramai Point (also known as Rockaway Headlands), 4627 Highway 1, Pacifica
Mori Point, 775 Bradford Way, Pacifica
Roberts Road, Pacifica
Linda Mar Beach (also known as Pacifica State Beach), 5000 Highway 1, Pacifica
Rockaway Beach, Rockaway Beach Avenue and Old County Road, Pacifica
Nearby destinations to explore
Getaway to Rockaway: Explore Pacifica’s quaint beachside quarter
Mission Street mainstays: What to eat, see and do along the Daly City corridor
Eight stops to explore along Highway 1 north of Half Moon Bay
