Blue whales invade Monterey Bay

The largest animal on planet Earth, blue whales, and the second-largest animal, fin whales, are swimming in the Monterey Bay in large numbers.

Beginning Monday, up to 50 blue whales have been sighted off the coast of Monterey.

Professional photographer Slater Moore shot mesmerizing video of the gentle giants from a Discovery Whale Watch boat Nov. 13. Watch it above.

"In the past eight years, I have never seen that happen in the month of November," said Keith Stemler with Chris' Fishing and Whale Watching.



CLICK THROUGH THIS SLIDESHOW TO SEE THE CRAZIEST WHALE WATCHING PHOTOS OF 2017. Blue whales have been spotted in Monterey Bay recently, a rare sight for the month of November.

CLICK THROUGH THIS SLIDESHOW TO SEE THE CRAZIEST WHALE WATCHING PHOTOS OF 2017. Blue whales have been spotted in Monterey Bay recently, a rare sight for the month of November. Photo: Daniel Bianchetta Photo: Daniel Bianchetta Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close Blue whales invade Monterey Bay 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

There are also many humpbacks in the bay.

Blue whales are most commonly spotted in Monterey during the summer, but by fall, they head south to their breeding grounds in warmer waters.

"Wednesday we had like 15 - 20 within a couple hundred yards of the boat. Then more huge geyser blows out to the west," said Katlyn Taylor with Discovery Whale Watch.

Blue whales can weigh up to 200 tons and grow to 105 feet long.

"Its heart is larger than a Volkswagen Beetle, its tongue alone weighs more than an elephant, and it is a spectacular thing when you see it," Stemler said.

Because of their size, they eat four tons of krill a day, and that may be why the whales are here so late in the year.

"There's lots of krill out in the bay we can see on the depth sounder," Taylor said.

Thursday's stormy weather caused whale watching boats to stay in the harbor, but Friday tours went on as scheduled.