During the past decade or so, whale watching has become a year-round activity, populated by a much bigger variety of marine mammals: blue whales, the biggest animal ever to have lived on this planet; humpbacks, the showoffs of the sea slapping the water repeatedly with their fins; pilot whales; false killer whales; even the occasional pod of orcas. Minke (pronounced minky) whales, dubbed the “stinky minke” for their fishy exhalations. Ultra-fast fin whales, known as the “greyhound of the sea.” Perhaps, very rarely, a sperm whale or sea otter.
And these days, the sight of giant pods of common dolphin, numbering well into the hundreds, is fairly, well, common. Sea lions are so numerous you might find a few draped across boats in the marina as you make your way to a whale-watching outfit.
The reasons for Orange County’s lively whale scene are varied, and not always fully understood, says Jessica Roame, marine education specialist at Newport Landing Whale Watching. For some species, rebounding populations mean that whales spread out, seeking new territories. Marine reserves and habitat restoration provide better feeding grounds. Changes in water temperature might also play a role.
And many of these whales and dolphins (which actually belong to a subgroup of whales) have a season.
“We started seeing the blue whales about a decade ago, which was when we flipped to year-round trips,” Roame says. “They’re usually most common in July and August.”
Humpbacks, like gray whales, follow a migration, from Oregon to the southern sections of Mexico. They’re at their height off Orange County during the opposite time of grays, March through November, Roame says. “But this past year, we’ve seen them every single month.”
Over the past four years, whale-watch crews have seen three pods of orcas in early January, one of them numbering around 90. And Roame says that by looking carefully at their coloring, the shape of their white patches and the shape of their dorsal fins, the crews were able to tell that they were from three different pods, and in fact three different groups of orcas. One eats sharks, she explains, while another eats marine mammals.
Those huge pods of common dolphins also appeared about a decade ago, Roame says, speeding and leaping through the water like a giant stampeding sea-herd.
Often, the whale-watching captains get their first clue about which whales are around from the fishermen, who have an eye on whose favorite prey is in local waters. Pilot whales will come to feed on squid. Fin whales, the second-largest animals on the planet, and minkes will show up for sardines and anchovies, Roame says.
As for the sperm whales, their rare but treasured appearances are a mystery. Typically, they’re found in colder water, out in the middle of the ocean. This year, a single sperm whale showed up for about six hours, then disappeared, Roame says. Four years ago, a pod of about 100 of them appeared.
But that’s the thrilling thing about whale watching — and nature in general. You never know what will come your way. Sea lions are the typical pinnipeds found along some local beaches, but for this past winter, dalmatian-spotted harbor seals excited crowds at Goff Island, off Treasure Island beach in Laguna Beach. This much is certain: Just about any time of year is going to bring a chance of seeing something gasp-worthy off the county’s coast.
Go see the whales!
Several spots are offering discounts just for OC Family readers
Onshore or offshore, Orange County offers several ways to look for whales. Be sure to check discount sites and promo codes online. Most local outfits offer ongoing discounts, with prices for kids as low as $8.
At sea:
Newport Landing Whale Watching: Several whale-watching trips a day, two to two and a half hours each. Tickets are generally in the $26 range, but Newport Landing is offering OC Family readers a promo code for a $12 trip, plus fuel and wharfage fees. Enter 12WHALE. Also offered are more expensive trips in small inflatables, or sitting in the captain’s quarters to learn about how the crews find whales. 309 Palm St., #A, Newport Beach. (949) 675-0551, newportwhales.com
Davey’s Locker: Similar to Newport Landing in trip time and prices for basic whale-watching trips. Davey’s Locker is offering a promo code for a $13 weekday trip, WhaleDeal13, that will be good through 2017 and possibly beyond. Balboa Pavilion, 400 Main St, Newport Beach. (949) 673-1434, daveyslocker.com
Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching: A two-hour trip costs $45 for adults, but sunset trips are much less, at $29. Also, check the online whale-watching schedule for half-price trips offered several times per week. You can also find various online promo codes for price reductions. 34675 Street of the Golden Lantern, Dana Point. (949) 496-5794, danawharf.com
Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari: This whale-watch operation offers trips lasting two and a half hours, on a smaller catamaran with fewer people, which can make for a less-crowded experience and better views. Captain Dave’s boat is also known for its plexiglass viewing hulls; by climbing down (one person allowed at a time), you can see the dolphins underwater and feel as though you’re swimming with them. Be sure to bring a camera. All these special aspects add up to higher prices as well; an adult ticket is $65. But Captain Dave is offering $10 off for OC Family readers; in order to get the discount, call to reserve instead of going online, and mention OC Family. 24440 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. (949) 488-2828, dolphinsafari.com
From land:
The best whale-watching spot for those who prefer the ground to stay still under their feet is at the Dana Point Headlands, which has been restored to native vegetation. An easy trail leads through the plants to a couple of lookout points. The height of the headlands, and its protrusion into the water, make spotting a “blow,” or the spouting, relatively easy. The nature center even lends binoculars for free. 34588 Scenic Drive, Dana Point. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the nature center is closed on Mondays. Danapoint.org
The cliffside walkway of Heisler Park, just north of Main Beach in Laguna Beach, also provides prime whale-viewing vistas. Spring is the time to look for gray whales; the mothers and their calves hug the shore on the northward migration, while the males swim farther out.
Fun facts about Orange County whales
Blue whale
- The biggest animal in the world. Ever.
- Its heart is as big as a piano.
- Its blood vessels are so big that a small person could (theoretically) swim through them.
- 100 people could fit inside its mouth, but what it eats is krill — tiny shrimp about 2 inches long.
Minke (pronounced MINK-y) whale
- So curious that it will sometimes approach boats
- Is called the “stinky minke” because of its fishy smell
- At around 26 feet long, it’s the smallest baleen whale off Orange County
Humpback whale
- Athletic! It breaches (throwing themselves completely out of the water) and sometimes swims on its back.
- And showoffs. It will slap the water loudly with its fins or smack it with its flukes (called “tail lobbing”).
- They sing a song that lasts 10-20 minutes, and will repeat it for hours.
- All the humpbacks in the North American Pacific sing the same song. All the humpbacks in the South Pacific sing the same song. But the two songs are different.
Gray whale
- Its migration from Arctic seas to Baja California and back is 14,000 miles
- The white blotches on them are barnacles, and the orange are whale lice — up to 100,000 of them on a single whale.
- To eat, the whale dives to the ocean bottom, turns on its side, and sucks in a mouthful of sediment that contains tube worms and other creatures. Then it expels the water and sediment through its baleen, the brushy plates in its mouth, keeping the food.
- Gray whale calves drink up to 300 gallons a day of their mothers’ milk.
Fin whale
- Almost as long as the blue whale at up to 90 feet, but weighs about one-third less.
- It’s svelte body helps it swim fast, up to 25 mph
- More unsocial than many whales; often lives alone or in small groups
Sperm whale
- Moby Dick was a fictional example — but based on a real-life enraged sperm whale that attacked a whaling ship
- That big, bulbous head holds the largest brain of any creature that ever lived.
- It can go 90 minutes without taking a breath
- Unlike the other whales listed here, the sperm whale has teeth.
Karin Klein is an American Cetacean Society naturalist in Orange County who has seen grays, humpbacks, blue whales, false killer whales, sea lions, harbor seals, one sea otter and thousands of common dolphins on local whale-watching trips. And though she’s spotted many orcas in the San Juan Islands off Washington state, she’s still hoping to see them here. Her most memorable whale-watching experience was in a small boat off San Francisco, where a gray whale came up on one side of the boat, dipped under, and came up right on the other side. She remembered to be excited once the boat stopped rocking violently. Klein is also a naturalist with OC Parks and author of the hiking book “50 Hikes in Orange County.” Follow her on Twitter @kklein100.
