Canine "deckhand" on San Francisco whale-watching tour boat becomes added attraction
A San Francisco whale-watching business is getting a lot more attention this year thanks to a a dog who helps the crew find whales.
"Bear" is a deckhand with four paws. He's a 120-pound German Shepherd who has become a favorite on the tours.
"He has taken to sea life and excelled. He enhances our morale," said Captain Joe Nazar of San Francisco Whale Tours. He helms the company's 65-foot catamaran, ironically named the "Kitty Kat."
"He pulls in the wet lines, which none of us wants to do. But he loves it," said San Francisco Whale Tours naturalist Sophie Belair.
Belair set up an Instagram and Tik Tok for Bear this summer and started posting videos of Bear hauling lines into the boat at Pier 39.
"He has almost 10 million views on a video. So he went mega viral. Bear blew up!" said Belair.
Curious onlookers at Pier 39 line up to admire the 6-year-old Bear as he eager helps the crew.
Nazar steered into the whale watching season, not knowing if this would be his last. Hotel bookings in San Francisco are down significantly in 2024, as tourism numbers have been a big let down.
"We decided that we are going to give everything we have this year, and this was going to either be a make or break year," said Nazar.
Ticket sales plummeted since COVID. But the combination of Bear's growing popularity and large numbers of playful humpbacks this season seem to have given ticket sales a boost.
Nazar says this has been his company's best year. Whale watchers, tourists, and locals have experienced a bit of magic on the waters.
"To be so close to the whales, I felt like I could reach out and touch them. It feels like a true gift," said Carolyn Bauer.
On this day, whale watchers experienced several up close and personal encounters with a humpback mom and calf with an injured tail, but surviving and seemingly thriving.
Darrin Allen volunteers for the Marine Mammal Center, documenting whale sightings.
"It seemed to be swimming around and healthy, other than those scars from from early on in its life," said Allen.
Nazar has been working seven days a week. The past four years have been a struggle. But he now plans to hire another captain to meet demand.
"I love San Francisco and I want my community that I was born and raised [in] to be better than it ever has been," said Nazar.
He has never given up on his city. Neither has Bear, who's doing his part to keep the mystery, magic, and momentum going.
Now Bear has a German Shepherd friend named Sam working on the Kitty Kat, though Sam doesn't pull in the ropes just yet.
San Francisco Whale Tours is not operating on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to give their crews some time off until the end of the season on December 31st.
