Wild, savage feeding frenzies are a natural part of the lives of wildlife we share our world with. Being in the midst of such a bestial event is rare and powerful. Here is one such adrenaline-pumping moment:
I had a group of people out on my boat, a couple of miles off Santa Barbara, looking for wildlife. We found it in spades!
At about high noon I spotted a large, round, dark shape well under the surface, not far from the boat. I moved over it and studied it with my fish-finder (sonar).
I could see it was a bait ball of anchovies, looking like it was being attacked from below by predator fish.
As I moved the boat directly over the big school of anchovies, they came to the surface and tried to hide right under my boat.
The bait ball was too big to completely hide under my boat, and there were anchovies disturbing the surface of the water for a couple of feet all around the boat.
That drew in sea birds, faster than a quarterback can deliver a long bomb to a wide receiver.
Moments later, birds were diving on anchovies all around the boat. As moments passed, more and more birds raced in to devour the available fish, and soon we found ourselves smack in the midst of a savage feeding frenzy.
Standing next to the rail of the boat, we could literally feel feathers and wingtips brushing our shoulders and heads. We knew better than to outstretch our arms because birds would be hitting our arms and hands during their high-speed dives.
Most people on the boat covered their heads with their arms for protection, so I told them to stay in the middle of the boat away from the railings so they wouldn’t be struck.
The birds were doing the best they could to adjust their dives to avoid hitting us, yet still manage to reach the anchovies that were all within about two feet of the boat.
The wild savagery lasted a full 15 minutes because the bait ball hid mostly within the cover of the boat for protection.
This was one of the wildest 15 minutes of a lifetime, and I’m certain everyone onboard the boat that day has vivid memories of the feeding frenzy.
The bait ball finally moved down in the water column and out of reach of the birds. As the birds moved away, we all caught our breaths and everyone on board seemed to start talking excitedly all at once.
What a memory!