A whale (and dolphin) of a tale
San Diego couple fascinated by cetaceans actively promotes their welfare
By Irwin Rapoport
August 11, 2022
Updated August 16, 2022
Julia and Cory Greenfield are fascinated by whales and dolphins, and living in San Diego, California, offers them a perfect home base to respectfully see them up close in their natural habitat. For many Quebecers, especially those in Montreal, being able to catch a glimpse of whales and dolphins requires extensive planning and being at the right locations at the right times.
Julia and Cory Greenfield
Far too many whale species, such as the Blue, Sperm, Humpback, Fin, and Right (northern and southern) were hunted to near extinction for their oil. The Japanese, Norwegian, and Faeroe Islands still hunt whales for their meat. The Japanese engage in “scientific whaling” to prove to the world that a sustainable whale hunt is possible. The country also allows the people of Taiji to hunt dolphins annually for meat and to capture individuals to be sold to companies that own parks where dolphins and porpoises are trained to perform for human audiences.
Millions of people across the globe, and a growing number of Japanese, have called for this massacre to end along with the hunting of whales but thus far the Japanese government refuses to end these practices. Iceland has bowed to pressure and has banned the hunting of whales.
Fortunately, since most nations agreed to stop hunting whales, populations are recovering. Julia and Cory have witnessed this personally via sightings from their boat and trips to Hawaii. Via an interview, the Greenfields shares their passion for whales and dolphins with Westmount Magazine readers and why we should care about their survival.
WM: How would you describe your fascination for whales and dolphins?
Cory: I guess it started at a young age. Growing up in Wisconsin, I had little access to them, so they seemed more like a fantasy creature. I fell in love with the TV show Flipper and dreamed of having a friendship with a dolphin. They seemed so smart, personal and interactive. Then, family trips to Florida gave me my first exposure. Trips to SeaWorld (despite all the current moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding the organization) got me up close for the first time and solidified my love for the creatures. It wasn’t long after that I dreamed of being a marine biologist and knew I would be leaving my home state of Wisconsin at some point.
I fell in love with the TV show Flipper and dreamed of having a friendship with a dolphin…. family trips to Florida gave me my first exposure… got me up close for the first time and solidified my love for the creatures.
– Cory Greenfield
WM: Have you helped researchers with studies to identify individuals and help with determining numbers?
Julia: No, we have not worked with researchers at all. But I submitted some of my whale tail photos from Hawaii to the website happywhale.com. You can submit your photos, and they will identify the whale based on the tail markings and track them around the globe. You can learn more about the whale you saw in the wild.
A stampede of common dolphin
Cory: We’re more like casual observers and will share input as needed. Usually, the information we share with local tourism boats is when or where we see something worth searching for. There are a couple of local ‘marine celebrities.’ Most notably, an offshore bottlenose dolphin named ‘Patches.’ He is easy to identify because he has a condition called ‘leucism,’ where the skin lacks pigment in many places, leading to a dolphin with very distinct white patches all over the body. He has been seen for over 15 years up and down the coast of Southern California. What’s really cool is that he seems to know he’s a special treat for tourists and will sometimes show off, and other times be annoyed by the paparazzi and hide behind his ‘bodyguards.’
My own favourite experience with an ‘individual’ was with a Risso’s dolphin. That particular species is very easily ‘scarred’ by play or fights with other dolphins or from prey. Those ‘scars’ give them each a unique look making it easier to identify individuals. Well, I had one that had a distinct marking above his eye bow riding next to me for a good length of time. We made eye contact and seemed to bond during our ride. Later, he swam off and I took the helm of the boat so Julia could interact with some dolphins. Well, from the bridge of the boat I could see my ‘buddy’ coming back to the boat to say ‘hi’ and was amazed when he got to the bow, looked up, saw Julia and gave an obvious look of confusion… I waved my hands and watched this particular dolphin roll back alongside the boat into view of me up above and you could see his eyes widen and light up with a look of ‘ah, there he is!’… Still gives me goosebumps when I think back to that moment.
‘If they [Mylar balloons] get released into the sky, whether accidentally or on purpose, they usually end up in the ocean, where they are often mistaken for food and eaten by sea life.’
– Julia Greenfield
WM: Which species have you seen?
Julia: In San Diego, on our boat, we have seen Humpbacks, Minke, Fin, and Gray whales. We have also seen Common, Coastal and Off-Shore Bottlenose, Pacific White-Sided, and Risso’s dolphins. We are still hoping to see a Blue whale or maybe Orcas sometime. Blue whales tend to travel a lot further from the coast, and we often don’t go out that far. And Orcas are a very rare sighting in San Diego, so that would just take pure luck.
Mylar balloons are a threat to sea life
WM: Have you helped whales entangled by nets?
Julia: No, we have not personally helped any whales entangled by nets. There are organizations that you should contact when you encounter a marine creature that may be injured or in distress. They have crews who are properly trained to come to help them in a safe manner. But we regularly do our part by removing any trash from the ocean that we find while out looking for whales. The most common items are Mylar balloons. People should stop purchasing Mylar balloons altogether. We have pulled so many out of the water over the years and they really are terribly harmful to sea life. If they get released into the sky, whether accidentally or on purpose, they usually end up in the ocean, where they are often mistaken for food and eaten by sea life. It’s just not worth it to purchase them in the first place.
Cory: I don’t ever want them to get tangled, but if they do, and I’m there, I’m in.
WM: Where have you travelled to see whales and dolphins?
Julia: I have visited Monterey, CA, and the island of Maui, HI, to go on whale-watching excursions. We plan on visiting Maui again in the next few years so we can experience the humpbacks there again because it was so magical. If anyone wants to see Humpback whales up close, I would highly recommend a trip to Maui from January to early March. On every trip we took, there were practically whales in every direction we looked. Over the course of eight whale-watching trips in one week on Maui, we saw over 100 breaches, lots of pectoral fin slapping, lots of moms and newborn babies, and competing groups of males working to impress the females around them… it was amazing. Additionally, if you went in the water anywhere on the island during that time and stuck your head under water, you could hear the whales singing to each other. It was magical.
‘If anyone wants to see Humpback whales up close, I would highly recommend a trip to Maui from January to early March. On every trip we took, there were practically whales in every direction we looked.’
– Julia Greenfield
Cory: I would love to get up to Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska for a viewing of Orcas!
WM: Have you just stopped the boat and let whales and dolphins come up to you on their own terms?
Cory: All the time! It really depends on the behaviour of the animal. Some are on a mission and we just join in the cruise. Others are feeding or hunting, while others are just chillin’ and taking a relaxing break. Those are the ones that will show curiosity and come check you out. We’ve had several encounters of whales swimming and occasionally even touching the boat while we are still. Generally though, dolphins love the action and just want to keep moving. They will go out of their way when we are near to bow ride with us. It’s a good feeling to be able to see that they aren’t annoyed by us and actually choose or prefer to hang out!
Julia: In particular with the whales, we’ve been approached by a Minke whale, a Humpback, and a Grey whale, all while we were sitting still in the water. You aren’t allowed to move or manoeuvre within 100 yards of them, so if they start heading in your direction, you just turn off the engine and let them do what they want. If they come up close to your boat on their own to check you out, it’s called “mugging”. It’s always a huge treat when this happens.
‘Just like looking at a human and being able to decipher curiosity, excitement, fear, anger, love, and confusion, I’ve experienced that you can do the same with these guys.’
– Cory Greenfield
WM: Why is it important to protect these creatures, and how can people help?
Cory: Like any living creature on this planet, they’re part of an ecosystem. Any disruption in a population can have a windfall of effects. I know certain cultures still see these animals as food sources or luxury items. I believe our job as humans would be to provide exposure or education to the other aspects of their worth or value, or at least try to create laws to limit the hunting, or how they are hunted, in a strategic manner for preservation long term.
WM: What’s it like to look at a whale eye-to-eye?
Cory: It’s not unlike eye contact with another human. Dolphins, in particular, appear to have a similar brain wavelength to us and seem to understand us. Just like looking at a human and being able to decipher curiosity, excitement, fear, anger, love, and confusion, I’ve experienced that you can do the same with these guys.
The Greenfields watching dolphins on their boat the Tortuga
WM: Have you ever seen a humpback whale create a bubble net and feed on the school of fish that were trapped?
Julia: We have not seen this behaviour in a humpback whale, but we did watch this behaviour with a pod of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins. We stopped the boat and sat next to them as they created the bubble nets and scooped up the fish. It was fun to watch above the water but we also had our GoPro underwater during the experience and got to see all the action on video after we were back on shore. It was pretty amazing.
Discover some amazing videos on Julia and Cory Greenfield’s YouTube channel.
Update – Cory Greenfield has encountered Blue whales this summer
Cory: This summer, from San Diego up to Orange County, more blue whales have been seen in a long time. It is suspected that the feeding (krill) is good this year, thus bringing the blues into our area. I finally got to see my first one early in the summer while out on my 10 foot tender boat only a mile outside of the marina! It was quite an impressive sight to be next to a creature eight times longer than my boat! At one point, I was probably within 25 feet from it, which felt way too close on my little tender boat!
I then was able to see several more blues about 5 or 6 miles off the coast while taking friends out on Tortuga (our 30 ft trawler vessel). One of the pairs of blue whales was a mother and calf. It was cute because the mother would dive deep to feed while the calf would hang out at the surface and show some curiosity in our boat while they waited for mom to come back. The largest blue whale I saw was estimated around 80 to 90 feet long.
Images: courtesy of Julia and Cory Greenfield
Feature image: Breaching Humpback in Maui
Read also other articles by Irwin Rapoport
Irwin Rapoport is a freelance journalist.
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