In the heart of Newport Beach (where there is very little parking), you can take a 2-hour tour (said in the Gilligan’s Island narrative voice) a few miles off the coast and see various types of whales. The time of year will dictate what types of whales you might see in this area. I went on this excursion on Saturday January 19th. It was a beautiful 75-degree day with barely a cloud in the sky.
A nice day to paddle your way around the shoreline.
Pretty cool to see snow-capped mountains while cruising on the ocean.
We were told by the boat’s captain that there were a few Gray Whales in the area and we should have a reasonable chance to see them. These whales migrate at a top speed of 3 miles per hour from Alaska to Baja Mexico. He also mentioned that the whales lose a considerable amount of weight because they do not feed while migrating. We met up with two smaller boats that were staking out an area. Approximately 10 minutes after we arrived, we saw some water spouts so we knew they were near the surface. Shortly thereafter, we were able to see one of the whales breach the water and two tails flip over. And that, folks, was the extent of our experience. LOL. After about 20 minutes, the captain told us that whales can go under water and hold their breath for 20 minutes. We waited a while longer but did not see them again. The captain then took us to some other locations but we were not able to see more whales. We did to see some sea lions who were laying on each other on a buoy. We then made our journey back to the dock. I took many pictures so I hope you enjoy them.
I like the following sequence of photos. Check out the changing ripples of water with various shades of light hitting them as the sun begins to set.
Same situation here. This is a closeup of the waves and foam from the ship’s engine.
Check out the color and shading of the sun on the water on the next couple of pictures. The water looks like it is on fire.
I’m not sure who this guy is but he is extremely tall. Either he or the woman or both were flown in on the helicopter and joined the party on-board.
For more information about Gray Whales, click the link below.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/gray-whale/