Whale Watching Video
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I'm in Dana Point for the weekend, and you can't visit this harbor town without doing a little whale watching.
Whale watching in California is great year round, whether you come in the winter for the gray whale's migration, or during the summer, which is the whale watching season for blue whales.
Today I'm riding aboard the Sea Explorer for its marine mammal and whale watch cruise.
We're heading 4 miles out to sea, in search of the elusive blue whale. Because it is a promontory, Dana Point is considered one of the best whale watching spots in Southern California and it believed that the whales use it as a navigational tool.
It's a beautiful, sunny day, and everyone seems to be out enjoying themselves! (If you're prone to sea sickness, I highly recommend buying a pair of acupressure Sea Bands. They're all natural and work really well.)
As we exit Dana Point Harbor, our guide, Carly Banks, points out a group of California sea lions basking in the sun.
"These guys are hanging out, resting up here," says Banks. "The water is around 65 degrees, so it's pretty cold. They have a thin layer of blubber, and barely any blubber on their flippers."
The buoys provide a safe haven from predators like orcas and sharks, and they usually don't venture more than 10 miles from land.
As we continue our whale watching cruise, we make another discovery. It's a maternal pod of more than 100 common dolphins and their calves.
"Common dolphins can pod in more than thousands, and span for miles, and those are called megpods or super pods," says Carly. "We also have both on-shore and off-shore bottlenose dolphins out here, the same dolphin that Flipper was if you remember that, and we also have Risso's dolphins, which lack a beak. So it looks a little bit more like a whale."
As we travel out to sea, Captain Peter Heistand keeps a close watch for blue whales.
"There she blows!" says Carly. "There's the blue whale off 10:30!"
We all clamor for a closer look. "These are the largest animals to inhabit planet earth, even larger than dinosaurs ever were," says Carly. "They can grow up to 100 feet long in the Northern Hemisphere, and the record blue whale in the south is 110 feet long!"
We realize that the first pair is actually mother and calf. Even at birth, a blue whale baby is about the size of a hippo. Sadly, until 1966, blue whales were hunted almost to extinction and are still on the endangered species list.
"I would like to welcome you all to small club," says Carly. "Only a small percentage of the people on this planet have ever seen a live blue whale."
Carly says the blue whale can communicate with another blue whale up to 10,000 miles away. "So a blue whale here and a blue whale in Hawaii can be having a conversation!" she says.
We also learn that a blue whale's heart is about the size of a Volkswagen and that a small child can actually fit inside its veins.
Blue whale watching is hit and miss, as little is known about the whale's true migratory pattern.
To offer a better understanding of whales and the foods they eat, Carly Banks and Jake Feuer release a plankton net into the ocean.
"Do you guys think we can catch plankton?" asks Carly. "Maybe later you'll get to meet Sheldon and Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants!"
After collecting a concentrated sample of plankton, we head inside the whale watching boat for a closer look under the video microscope.
We learn that plankton are actually drifting organisms such as animals, plants or bacteria that inhabit the open sea. Blue whales eat about 4 tons of planktonic food every day!
Our second experiment is with a benthic sampler, which takes a bite out of the sediment on the ocean floor. After grabbing a sample, it's time to sort the creatures found in the mud.
The cruise back to shore is warm and beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day of dolphin and whale watching. We even pass by the Spirit of Dana Point, which offers weekend sails through the Ocean Institute.
Today's outing was a huge success and we saw four blue whales! If you're planning a trip to Southern California, I highly recommend the Ocean Institute's whale watching cruises or Catalina whale watching trips. It's an unforgettable experience.
Whale watching in California is great year round, whether you come in the winter for the gray whale's migration, or during the summer, which is the whale watching season for blue whales.
Today I'm riding aboard the Sea Explorer for its marine mammal and whale watch cruise.
We're heading 4 miles out to sea, in search of the elusive blue whale. Because it is a promontory, Dana Point is considered one of the best whale watching spots in Southern California and it believed that the whales use it as a navigational tool.
It's a beautiful, sunny day, and everyone seems to be out enjoying themselves! (If you're prone to sea sickness, I highly recommend buying a pair of acupressure Sea Bands. They're all natural and work really well.)
As we exit Dana Point Harbor, our guide, Carly Banks, points out a group of California sea lions basking in the sun.
"These guys are hanging out, resting up here," says Banks. "The water is around 65 degrees, so it's pretty cold. They have a thin layer of blubber, and barely any blubber on their flippers."
The buoys provide a safe haven from predators like orcas and sharks, and they usually don't venture more than 10 miles from land.
As we continue our whale watching cruise, we make another discovery. It's a maternal pod of more than 100 common dolphins and their calves.
"Common dolphins can pod in more than thousands, and span for miles, and those are called megpods or super pods," says Carly. "We also have both on-shore and off-shore bottlenose dolphins out here, the same dolphin that Flipper was if you remember that, and we also have Risso's dolphins, which lack a beak. So it looks a little bit more like a whale."
As we travel out to sea, Captain Peter Heistand keeps a close watch for blue whales.
"There she blows!" says Carly. "There's the blue whale off 10:30!"
We all clamor for a closer look. "These are the largest animals to inhabit planet earth, even larger than dinosaurs ever were," says Carly. "They can grow up to 100 feet long in the Northern Hemisphere, and the record blue whale in the south is 110 feet long!"
We realize that the first pair is actually mother and calf. Even at birth, a blue whale baby is about the size of a hippo. Sadly, until 1966, blue whales were hunted almost to extinction and are still on the endangered species list.
"I would like to welcome you all to small club," says Carly. "Only a small percentage of the people on this planet have ever seen a live blue whale."
Carly says the blue whale can communicate with another blue whale up to 10,000 miles away. "So a blue whale here and a blue whale in Hawaii can be having a conversation!" she says.
We also learn that a blue whale's heart is about the size of a Volkswagen and that a small child can actually fit inside its veins.
Blue whale watching is hit and miss, as little is known about the whale's true migratory pattern.
To offer a better understanding of whales and the foods they eat, Carly Banks and Jake Feuer release a plankton net into the ocean.
"Do you guys think we can catch plankton?" asks Carly. "Maybe later you'll get to meet Sheldon and Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants!"
After collecting a concentrated sample of plankton, we head inside the whale watching boat for a closer look under the video microscope.
We learn that plankton are actually drifting organisms such as animals, plants or bacteria that inhabit the open sea. Blue whales eat about 4 tons of planktonic food every day!
Our second experiment is with a benthic sampler, which takes a bite out of the sediment on the ocean floor. After grabbing a sample, it's time to sort the creatures found in the mud.
The cruise back to shore is warm and beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day of dolphin and whale watching. We even pass by the Spirit of Dana Point, which offers weekend sails through the Ocean Institute.
Today's outing was a huge success and we saw four blue whales! If you're planning a trip to Southern California, I highly recommend the Ocean Institute's whale watching cruises or Catalina whale watching trips. It's an unforgettable experience.
