Farallon Islands

Every March-November since 2019 I have spent nearly every weekend at the Farallon Islands working as a Wildlife Photographer for the Oceanic Society. My time spent aboard our vessel the Salty Lady has been nothing short of amazing, from breaching whales to Great White Sharks every trip is different from the last which always gets me excited to go out.

It takes 2+ hours for the Salty Lady to get from the port in San Francisco to the Farallon Islands 30 miles to the east. The length of the trips out rely on two main factors, how much wildlife we see on the way out, and the big one, the weather. Unlike its name suggests the pacific ocean is anything but passive. Swells and prevailing winds are our biggest enemy on board and if it gets too bad, trips will just get canceled out of concerns for safety and comfort of the guests. But the upper end of our acceptable weather conditions can still leave people feeling seasick and wet from big swells and wind kicking up heavy spray. But for me and the rest of the crew this is just apart of the appeal of the Farallons.

The Islands are always worth the rough seas as it plays shelter to thousands of birds and mammals. For Birders the Island are a very special place due to its abundance of breeding species such as Common Murres (See Below), and rarity in the single Northern Gannet in the Pacific. Birders will travel all around the world in search of many of the different species found the islands, which always makes for exciting and potentially rewarding trips.