Weekly Report ~ February 20 – 26, 2023
Gray Whale Migration Transition Continues! As we move toward spring, we should continue to see more northbound whales each week. Once the southward migration starts each fall, pregnant females usually arrive first, then non-pregnant but fertile females, followed by other adults and immature females, with the immature males arriving last. Most southbound whales we are…
Weekly Report ~ February 13 – 19, 2023
Gray Whale Southbound Migration Transition Begins to Transition to Northbound! Gray whales travel as much as 14,000 miles each year, migrating from their feeding to calving and mating grounds. The length of the whales’ migration can vary depending on where they begin, as their feeding ground covers hundreds of miles and whether they travel offshore…
Weekly Report ~ February 6 – 12, 2023
Love is in the Air! Multiple Encounters with Gray Whales Courting, Plus Fin Whales, Minke Whales, Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Common Dolphin, and several Mola mola! An exceptional experience was watching three gray whales courting, likely mating, with lots of surface activity, including rolling and socializing showing their pectoral fins and flukes. This spectacular show…
Weekly Report ~ January 30th – February 5th 2023
Baja Style Gray Whale Day with 16 Gray Whales, including a cow/calf pair ~ Breaching, Courting, Spy Hopping, Mugging on Every Trip! The day started with a breacher in front of the Dana Point Harbor. The cloudy skies turned to sunshine; soon after, a cow/calf pair was heading south close to shore. We were mugged…
Weekly Report ~ February 6 – 12, 2023
Gray Whale, Fin Whales, Minke Whales ~ Bottlenose Dolphin & Common Dolphin Most Gray Whales continue to be northbound, with one juvenile southbound pair observed, and all have been spotted close to shore. As many as five fin whales at a time have been feeding off our coast from 1 mile to 7 miles out. …