09/01/2026
Warm, sunny skies and sporty seas greeted us as we departed Oceanside Harbor aboard NALA for an action-packed day offshore!
Captain Chris’s eagle eye spotted a large shark approximately 5 miles offshore. Keeping a respectful distance from this wary and elusive animal, Deckhand Saxon launched the drone to get a better look and confirmed what we had hoped: a Hammerhead Shark!
It was the first Hammerhead of the season for our crew and a first-ever sighting for many of our passengers! Swimming in short, powerful bursts and making sudden, razor-sharp turns, this skittish shark was at least 8 feet long and kept us guessing as it moved through the open blue water. Encounters like this are especially exciting because Hammerheads are not an everyday sight in our local waters. With Southern California experiencing unusually warm ocean temperatures this summer, tropical and warm-water species have been turning up farther north than we typically expect.
Our attention soon shifted to dolphin, with a pod of approximately 150 Common Dolphin feeding south of Carlsbad Canyon. Later in the day, an even larger herd of at least 400 Common Dolphin was spotted about 7 miles northwest of the harbor!
Both herds were actively hunting, surging forward in tight, coordinated groups before disappearing beneath the surface on synchronized dives. Between feeding bouts, however, the dolphins seemed ready for a little fun! They repeatedly launched themselves high into the air, raced alongside NALA, and swept in to bow ride, giving everyone incredible close-up views of these energetic ocean athletes.
And then there were the Flying Fish!
Numerous flying fish were spotted on every trip throughout the day. These remarkable fish are strongly associated with warm tropical and subtropical waters, and local sightings can be hit-or-miss. With this summer’s ocean temperatures reaching the mid to upper 70s°F, conditions are exceptionally favorable for warm-water species like flying fish and their presence is another fascinating indication of just how unusual our Southern California ocean conditions have become.
From a first-of-the-season Hammerhead to hundreds of acrobatic Common Dolphin and flying fish skimming across the surface, NALA’s day offshore was a spectacular showcase of Southern California’s ever-changing and surprisingly warm marine ecosystem!
Photos and report by naturalist Laura Lopez and Ernie. Drone photo by Saxon.
