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Let's go whale watching!
The day after Christmas marks the first day of gray whale watching season in Southern California.
On December 26th, more than 100 Cabrillo Whalewatch naturalists donned red jackets and headed out on the high seas in search of gray whales. After months of studying and lectures on whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions and coastal birds, naturalists had the first chance to test their marine life knowledge aboard the annual training trip.
During this year’s trip there were ten gray whale sightings, including great flukes (tail) photo opportunities. This is a good sign that it’s going to be a great whale watching season. In fact, December was a record for gray whales according to the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census. Sightings were the highest in more than 30 years!
So join our volunteer naturalists aboard one of three whale watching boats in the Los Angeles area (see below). (For amazing close encounters with gray whales, there are still a few spaces available on our Friendly Whales of Baja adventure to San Ignacio Lagoon.) Once aboard keep your eyes peeled for the classic heart-shaped blow of the gray whale.
The whales migrate by our coast annually, from the nutrient-rich waters of the Arctic seas where they spend summers feeding, to the warm lagoons of Baja, California, where they mate and give birth. The entire round trip is 10 to 14,000 miles. During late February and March, there’s a good chance you’ll see new calves swimming with their mothers as they return north during the second half of the whale watching season.
The Cabrillo Whalewatch program is co-sponsored by Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society.
For group bookings, please contact Nancee Kioudjian, Whalewatch Coordinator at (310) 548-7770 or CabrilloWhalewatch@gmail.com.
For individual reservations, please contact the landing most convenient for you:
Marina Del Rey Sportfishing (310) 822-3625
Weekdays 10 am
• Individuals, $30/person; $15/children 11 and under
• Groups of 25 or more, $10/person
Weekends 10 am and 1:30 pm
• Individuals, $30/adults; $15/children 11 and under
• Groups of 25 or more, $10/person
Voyager Excursions, Redondo Beach, (310) 944-1219
Weekdays 10 am and 1:30 pm
• Individuals, $25/person; $15/children 12 and under
•Groups of 25 or more, $10/person
Weekends 10 am and 1:30 pm
• Individuals, $25/adults; $15/children 6-12; under 6 – Free
• Groups of 25 or more, $10/person
Spirit Cruises, San Pedro, (310) 548-8080
Weekdays 10 am
• Groups of 50 or more only – Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., $12/person (prepayment required)
Weekends 12:45 pm (10am for groups of 50+)
• Individuals, $25/adults; $15/children 12 and under
• Groups of 20 - 40 adults or 50+ combined, $20/adults; $15/children 12 and under (prepayment required)
Post Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2014
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