Weekly Report ~ March 13 – 19, 2023
Record-Breaking Day Set as Gray Whale Migration Peaks On Saturday, March 18, our sightings included 29 Gray Whales, 6 Fin Whales, 1 Bryde’s Whale, Pacific white-side Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, and Common Dolphin On our first trip of the day ~ the Epic 4-hour Whale Watch on the New San Mateo ~ our newest vessel…
Weekly Report ~ March 1 – 5, 2023
Gray Whales continue the migration North, great sightings on the days we could get out, but Sunday was a Festival of Whales GRAND FINALE! Ending the weekend with 13 Gray Whales, Bottlenose, and Common Dolphin! Nona the Naturalist started the day with story time inside the belly of a whale teaching kids some fun facts…
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. …
Weekly Report ~ January 23-29, 2023
Gray Whale Sightings Continue to Increase, Including Cow/Calf (Mom/Baby) Pairs! Most gray whale cow/calf pairs keep a low profile and are often spotted by the trailing fluke prints while traveling close to the water’s surface. The calves lift their heads when surfacing alongside mom and sometimes change sides from right to left as they swim…
Weekly Report ~ January 16-22, 2023
“Blanco” the Leucistic Risso’s Dolphin, A Rare Bryde’s Whale, Gray Whales, Pacific White-sided Dolphin A nursery pod of Risso’s dolphin, including the leucistic Risso’s named “Blanco” with very distinctive, almost all white coloration and believed to be the only one known off Southern California, was found about 15 miles offshore on our 8-hour Ultimate Whale…
Weekly Report ~ January 9-15, 2023
Gray Whale Cow/Calf Pairs, Patches, Dolphin Stampede As we enter the first phase of the Gray Whale Southbound Migration, we see more cow/calf (mom/baby) pairs heading south along our coast, usually in shallower water very close to shore. Other adults are traveling as singles, pairs, or trios, many consistently fluking, usually traveling at about 3.5…