Southern Exposure
In Newport Beach, Davey's Locker Whale Watching Cruises has been providing whale watching cruises and tours for more than 30 years. The Ocean Explorer also departs from Newport Harbor, which is the closest ocean harbor from Anaheim, and offers whale watching cruises, boasting a 95 percent success rate in viewing whales or dolphins on your trip. In Dana Point, Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari hosts guests aboard a hi-tech catamaran sailboat with its Eye-to-Eye Underwater viewing pod. Held every March, the Dana Point Festival of Whales presents two weekends of whale celebrations with parades, sailing regatta and concerts.
San Diego offers a unique whale watching experience - by kayak. La Jolla Kayak provides guided tours that get guests amazingly close to the migrating whales. Another unique whale watching adventure is aboard the America, a 139-foot-long sailing yacht and a historic replica of the world's first America's Cup winner, available for up to 80 guests through Next Level Sailing. The yacht's low-sweeping deck gives travelers a great vantage point for photographing whales up close. Also based in San Diego, Hornblower Cruises, whose fleet is powered by a 20 percent biodiesel blend, provides whale watching with a green emphasis and features local environmental efforts on their cruise as part of the company's Respect Our Planet program.
Santa Barbara Channel
Santa Barbara Life with a little splash! Santa Barbara's Condor Express is a unique hydroplane jet boat that skims the water at incredible speeds. Voted #1 Whale Watching Vessel in Santa Barbara, the Condor Express travels to the Channel Islands and its beaches and caverns. Captain Fred Benko and his crew welcomes visitors to enjoy the scenic beauty of California's Riviera and see its marine wildlife. Experts on board explain the whale migrations along the California Coast. 888-77-WHALE or 805-993-0088 www.condorcruises.com
Monterey Coast
Welcoming warmer temperatures and longer days, visitors, residents and even sea life are on the move around Monterey Bay. One of the most spectacular and famous of all the events in the Bay is the northward migration of the Gray Whale. Gray Whales spend the winter mating and calving in the warm lagoons of Baja California, then begin their long spring journey north to Alaska for their summer feeding season. This March, the entire population of 26,000 Gray Whales will be passing through Monterey Bay in peak numbers.
Gray whales hug the coastline on migration. Whale watching is easy through binoculars from shore or with closer looks from boats. Whales exhale at the surface and the first part of a Gray Whale sited is usually its heart-shaped white vapor spout. Then comes the gray back. These whales have no dorsal fin but instead have a distinctive ridge, which looks like a series of knuckles along the top of the tail area. Just before they sound, or dive, they often show tail flukes in a slow curve above the water. They travel out of sight less than 100’ below the surface, so the next spout can be expected in 3 to 7 minutes.
In the spring, Gray Whales are on the second half of their annual migration from feeding grounds in Alaska to calving lagoons in Mexico and then back again; one of the longest migrations of any animal on earth! They eat little or nothing on their journey. Incredibly, they are able to live off their metabolized blubber, which they replenish by feeding steadily each summer. Pregnant females are the first to leave, followed by adult males and females, juveniles and lastly, mother and calf pairs. The mothers will stay with their calves until they reach the feeding grounds in order to protect and guide the calves during the long migration.
Life and death drama is possible when Gray Whale mothers and calves pass through the Bay during April and May. They hug the coastline and are often found just outside the surf. This is a tactic to prevent detection from their predator, the Killer Whale. When they cross Monterey Bay, with its deep submarine canyon, the danger increases. Killer Whales target the calves and work as a group for many hours to overcome the Grays. Although it’s a sad struggle for the calf, feeding on a Gray Whale provides food for many Killer Whales and their calves. Killer Whales, as the top predator, are amazingly beautiful and intelligent creatures that spend all of their lives in pods comprised of family groups. Joining attacks on Gray Whales provides an opportunity for young Killer Whales to learn hunting strategies from adults. Eventually, the remains of the calf will sink to the sea floor, decompose and provide nutrients that will continue for many years the cycle of the ocean food web.
Gray Whales are not the only amazing sea life on the move. Spring, off the central California coast, begins the start of a new cycle in the oceans and renewed life in Monterey Bay. Called the “Upwelling Season,”nutrients come to the surface, allowing the sun to fuel an explosion of life in the Bay. This important vertical movement brings hundreds of species of plankton to the surface to form the base of the food chain. The result is an abundance of food for fish, seabirds, seals, sea lions, dolphins, and whales.
Springtime harkens California Sea Lions on the Monterey Breakwater to rest between feeding bouts on the abundance of fish and squid. Harbor Seals give birth to their pups in the Bay. Humpback Whales and Pacific White-Sided dolphins gather to feed on massive schools of anchovies and sardines. Dolphins, playful, curious and highly intelligent, live in tight-knit social groupings. Six species of dolphins occur in Monterey Bay, sometimes in schools of several thousand. Monterey Bay with its unique Submarine Canyon, is one of the few places in the world with such a diversity and abundance of marine life.
with Monterey Bay Whale Watch
Summer began early in Monterey Bay as the largest animal on earth, the Blue Whale, arrived to feed on massive amounts of krill during May. Blue Whales are highly endangered, with only 10,000 left worldwide. However, the population that feeds off California numbers just over 2,200 and are on the increase. Blue Whales were protected off our coast in the early 70’s and now are thriving. These 90’ long and 200 ton mammoths feed only on krill, very tiny animals that are less than a half inch long. Even though their food is tiny, they feed on massive amounts by taking in tons of water with thousands of krill then squeezing the water out through their baleen. An adult Blue Whale may eat 4 tons of this krill everyday. The Blue Whales will feed off the coast until late fall when they start their migration down to the far offshore waters of Costa Rica where they spend the winter giving birth and mating.
Monterey Bay with its underwater canyon, comparable in size to the Grand Canyon, is so productive that sometimes up to 50 or more Blue Whales feed along the canyon edges in small groups spread out for several miles. Since this deep canyon approaches the coast within a half mile of shore, Monterey Bay is known as the best place in the world to view these magnificent mammals.
Not only is summer and fall an excellent time to see Blue Whales, but other whales such as Humpback Whales are sighted daily. Occasionally Fin Whales, Minke Whales, and Killer Whales venture in the Bay as well as thousands of dolphins. Humpback Whales are the acrobats of the whale world. With side flippers almost a third of their body length, they can often be seen leaping clear out of the water, long flippers twisting as they piroette back to sea. These curious whales often approach our boat appearing to check out people aboard our Monterey Bay Whale Watch boats. Otherwise they may be feeding on schools of fish and krill. The inner part of Monterey Bay offers a safe haven for Humpback Whale mothers and their calves.
If you want more information about whales or whale watching in Monterey Bay, including daily sighting reports, look at www.gowhales.com
For more information on the whales and dolphins of Monterey Bay and how to participate in whale watch trips, contact Monterey Bay Whale Watch at 1-866-469-4253 or www.gowhales.com
In Newport Beach, Davey's Locker Whale Watching Cruises has been providing whale watching cruises and tours for more than 30 years. The Ocean Explorer also departs from Newport Harbor, which is the closest ocean harbor from Anaheim, and offers whale watching cruises, boasting a 95 percent success rate in viewing whales or dolphins on your trip. In Dana Point, Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari hosts guests aboard a hi-tech catamaran sailboat with its Eye-to-Eye Underwater viewing pod. Held every March, the Dana Point Festival of Whales presents two weekends of whale celebrations with parades, sailing regatta and concerts.
San Diego offers a unique whale watching experience - by kayak. La Jolla Kayak provides guided tours that get guests amazingly close to the migrating whales. Another unique whale watching adventure is aboard the America, a 139-foot-long sailing yacht and a historic replica of the world's first America's Cup winner, available for up to 80 guests through Next Level Sailing. The yacht's low-sweeping deck gives travelers a great vantage point for photographing whales up close. Also based in San Diego, Hornblower Cruises, whose fleet is powered by a 20 percent biodiesel blend, provides whale watching with a green emphasis and features local environmental efforts on their cruise as part of the company's Respect Our Planet program.
Santa Barbara Channel
Santa Barbara Life with a little splash! Santa Barbara's Condor Express is a unique hydroplane jet boat that skims the water at incredible speeds. Voted #1 Whale Watching Vessel in Santa Barbara, the Condor Express travels to the Channel Islands and its beaches and caverns. Captain Fred Benko and his crew welcomes visitors to enjoy the scenic beauty of California's Riviera and see its marine wildlife. Experts on board explain the whale migrations along the California Coast. 888-77-WHALE or 805-993-0088 www.condorcruises.com
Monterey Coast
Spring in Monterey
by Nancy Black
by Nancy Black
Welcoming warmer temperatures and longer days, visitors, residents and even sea life are on the move around Monterey Bay. One of the most spectacular and famous of all the events in the Bay is the northward migration of the Gray Whale. Gray Whales spend the winter mating and calving in the warm lagoons of Baja California, then begin their long spring journey north to Alaska for their summer feeding season. This March, the entire population of 26,000 Gray Whales will be passing through Monterey Bay in peak numbers.
Gray whales hug the coastline on migration. Whale watching is easy through binoculars from shore or with closer looks from boats. Whales exhale at the surface and the first part of a Gray Whale sited is usually its heart-shaped white vapor spout. Then comes the gray back. These whales have no dorsal fin but instead have a distinctive ridge, which looks like a series of knuckles along the top of the tail area. Just before they sound, or dive, they often show tail flukes in a slow curve above the water. They travel out of sight less than 100’ below the surface, so the next spout can be expected in 3 to 7 minutes.
In the spring, Gray Whales are on the second half of their annual migration from feeding grounds in Alaska to calving lagoons in Mexico and then back again; one of the longest migrations of any animal on earth! They eat little or nothing on their journey. Incredibly, they are able to live off their metabolized blubber, which they replenish by feeding steadily each summer. Pregnant females are the first to leave, followed by adult males and females, juveniles and lastly, mother and calf pairs. The mothers will stay with their calves until they reach the feeding grounds in order to protect and guide the calves during the long migration.
Life and death drama is possible when Gray Whale mothers and calves pass through the Bay during April and May. They hug the coastline and are often found just outside the surf. This is a tactic to prevent detection from their predator, the Killer Whale. When they cross Monterey Bay, with its deep submarine canyon, the danger increases. Killer Whales target the calves and work as a group for many hours to overcome the Grays. Although it’s a sad struggle for the calf, feeding on a Gray Whale provides food for many Killer Whales and their calves. Killer Whales, as the top predator, are amazingly beautiful and intelligent creatures that spend all of their lives in pods comprised of family groups. Joining attacks on Gray Whales provides an opportunity for young Killer Whales to learn hunting strategies from adults. Eventually, the remains of the calf will sink to the sea floor, decompose and provide nutrients that will continue for many years the cycle of the ocean food web.
Gray Whales are not the only amazing sea life on the move. Spring, off the central California coast, begins the start of a new cycle in the oceans and renewed life in Monterey Bay. Called the “Upwelling Season,”nutrients come to the surface, allowing the sun to fuel an explosion of life in the Bay. This important vertical movement brings hundreds of species of plankton to the surface to form the base of the food chain. The result is an abundance of food for fish, seabirds, seals, sea lions, dolphins, and whales.
Springtime harkens California Sea Lions on the Monterey Breakwater to rest between feeding bouts on the abundance of fish and squid. Harbor Seals give birth to their pups in the Bay. Humpback Whales and Pacific White-Sided dolphins gather to feed on massive schools of anchovies and sardines. Dolphins, playful, curious and highly intelligent, live in tight-knit social groupings. Six species of dolphins occur in Monterey Bay, sometimes in schools of several thousand. Monterey Bay with its unique Submarine Canyon, is one of the few places in the world with such a diversity and abundance of marine life.
Summer Brings a Sea of Life
to Monterey Bay
to Monterey Bay
by Nancy Black
Resident marine biologist with Monterey Bay Whale Watch
Summer began early in Monterey Bay as the largest animal on earth, the Blue Whale, arrived to feed on massive amounts of krill during May. Blue Whales are highly endangered, with only 10,000 left worldwide. However, the population that feeds off California numbers just over 2,200 and are on the increase. Blue Whales were protected off our coast in the early 70’s and now are thriving. These 90’ long and 200 ton mammoths feed only on krill, very tiny animals that are less than a half inch long. Even though their food is tiny, they feed on massive amounts by taking in tons of water with thousands of krill then squeezing the water out through their baleen. An adult Blue Whale may eat 4 tons of this krill everyday. The Blue Whales will feed off the coast until late fall when they start their migration down to the far offshore waters of Costa Rica where they spend the winter giving birth and mating.
Monterey Bay with its underwater canyon, comparable in size to the Grand Canyon, is so productive that sometimes up to 50 or more Blue Whales feed along the canyon edges in small groups spread out for several miles. Since this deep canyon approaches the coast within a half mile of shore, Monterey Bay is known as the best place in the world to view these magnificent mammals.
Not only is summer and fall an excellent time to see Blue Whales, but other whales such as Humpback Whales are sighted daily. Occasionally Fin Whales, Minke Whales, and Killer Whales venture in the Bay as well as thousands of dolphins. Humpback Whales are the acrobats of the whale world. With side flippers almost a third of their body length, they can often be seen leaping clear out of the water, long flippers twisting as they piroette back to sea. These curious whales often approach our boat appearing to check out people aboard our Monterey Bay Whale Watch boats. Otherwise they may be feeding on schools of fish and krill. The inner part of Monterey Bay offers a safe haven for Humpback Whale mothers and their calves.
If you want more information about whales or whale watching in Monterey Bay, including daily sighting reports, look at www.gowhales.com
For more information on the whales and dolphins of Monterey Bay and how to participate in whale watch trips, contact Monterey Bay Whale Watch at 1-866-469-4253 or www.gowhales.com
