Gray Whale

April is the month the gray whales stop being a migration and start being a family. The single adults and juveniles have mostly cleared out by now. What is left coming up the coast are mothers and calves, moving slowly, hugging the sand, in no particular hurry to be anywhere. It is also, quietly, the…

By March the gray whales have turned around. The animals passing Dana Point are no longer running south to Baja with somewhere to be. They are coming back up the coast from the calving lagoons, and they are in far less of a hurry about it. That changes what a trip actually looks like from…

There is one month a year when we can leave Dana Point Harbor in the morning, find a gray whale swimming south toward Mexico, and then find another one a few hours later swimming north toward Alaska. That month is February. Most people book a whale watching trip in January because that is when they…

There is a stretch of ocean off the Dana Point Headlands where, on a good January morning, you can watch a heart-shaped blow go up, then another a half mile past it, then a third off the bow, and realize you have lost count of how many gray whales are in your two hours on…

There is a morning every December when someone on the bow yells before the captain does. It is usually a first-timer, they are usually pointing at the wrong patch of water, and about four seconds later a heart-shaped blow goes up right where they were looking. That is a gray whale, and that is December…

You are standing on the deck of a Dana Wharf vessel looking out at the Pacific. Suddenly, you see a puff of white water on the horizon. Before you can even focus your binoculars, the captain announces over the loudspeaker, “We have a Gray Whale at 2 o’clock!” How do they do that?…

As we ring in 2026, the waters off Dana Point are bustling with activity. While many of us are making resolutions to hit the gym, thousands of marine mammals are hard at work on one of the longest migrations on the planet. If you are joining us in January or February, here is your forecast…

1. Blue Whales: The Largest Animal on Earth When to See Them: Late spring through early fall (typically May–September) Key Features: Size: Up to 100 feet long—the largest animal ever known to exist Color: Mottled blue-gray; appears bluish underwater Blow (Spout): Very tall…

Best Time To See Gray Whales In Southern California Southern California is a prime spot for whale watching. It’s a place where nature enthusiasts and tourists alike can witness the majestic gray whales in their natural habitat. But when is the best time to see these magnificent creatures? The answer lies in understanding their migration…