Dana Wharf Blog

Quick Blue Whale Facts A Blue Whale’s tongue weighs the same as an African Elephant or 10,000 to 15,000 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 tons). A hundred people can fit in the Blue Whale’s gigantic mouth by volume. They can consume several tons of krill per day during peak feeding. Calves may gain on the order…

What a Fantastic week of whale watching with Blue Whales, Fin Whales, Minke Whales, Bottlenose Dolphin, Common Dolphin and so many Mola molas! Multiple Blue Whales encountered 6 days in a row!  Blue Whales are feeding almost exclusively on krill and often swim in circles during feeding dives to stay close to their food.  It…

During a recent whale watching trip with Dana Wharf Whale Watch, passengers were able to witness the largest and second largest animals in the world, Blue Whales and Fin Whales, in their natural habitat. The Fin Whales were seen feeding and traveling northbound, with some even breaching and “greyhounding” across the water. These enormous creatures…

Fishing for bass has improved with water temperatures reaching between 64-65 degrees. The most successful approach this week has been utilizing Carolina rigs or straight sliders with sliding egg sinkers. Using a lighter line, around 10-12lb, has proven effective for catching both sand bass and calico bass. Additionally, half-day trips have yielded some nice sheepshead…

Blue Whale Palooza and Fin Whales, including a Fin Whale cow/calf Pair! Passengers aboard Dana Wharf Whale Watch have been thrilled with Blue Whale sightings off Dana Point for 19 out of the first 25 days of June. These impressive creatures have been spotted mostly 6-9 miles offshore, moving northwest at approximately 4 knots. Many…

This week, water temperatures have been varied, ranging from the coolest at 60.5° to 65° at the start of the week. It seems that mixed-up conditions and some downhill current may have contributed to this. Despite the cool water, bass fishing has been as good as expected. Those looking to catch some bass have had…

Beautiful Blue and Friendly Fin Whales! About seven miles off San Onofre in what is often a very productive area, we encountered one of several Blue Whales seen this week!  This whale stayed very close to the surface between dives.  Even under the gray skies, we could see its massive body’s “blue glow”!  During the…

A Rare Sperm Whale Spotted by Captain Steve at Dana Wharf! Sperm whales are some of the biggest toothed whales in the ocean, with males weighing up to 50 tons or more than 700 people, according to the National Wildlife Federation. They can be very elusive with hour-long dives and usually travel in deeper waters further…

Great Blue Whales, Feeding Fin Whales, and Mighty Minke Whales! Blue Whale season is here and usually lasts from May to September. This week we even saw a blue whale, the largest animal, believed to be the same animal seen years ago, affectionately called “Bubbles,” recognized because this whale consistently displays a large “bubble blast” before…

Plowed through another week here locally and over at the island. Along the coast here, 63° water was pretty much the norm.  Where is the sun?  Man a little bit of sun would really kick things up.   We’ve got some great sardine and anchovy mix for our live bait so the bass action picked up…

Good week, very similar to what we had to work with last week with the conditions on the beach with 63° water. Bass fishing for the 1/2 day anglers showed more signs of improvement with some action for the guys on the fly lined baits and the artificials.  A day or two of some dirty…

American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale “the greyhound of the sea … for its beautiful, slender body which is built like a racing yacht and the animal can surpass the speed of the fastest ocean steamship.” We have been so fortunate to see a rare Fin whale cow/calf pair as Fin whales…