It’s my opinion there really isn’t a bad time to jump on a Harbor Breeze Cruise and Aquarium of the Pacific whale watching excursion! At this time of year, the grey whales have been migrating south for a little over a month, along with sightings of other whales like humpbacks, fin whales, minke whales, orcas, and dolphins. Sea life is abundant with birds, seals, and sea otters busily playing and feeding in the rich offshore waters. It’s truly refreshing and revitalizing to get out in the ocean air to experience life at its most basic and to observe the beautiful process of being.
On my excursion, there was a lot of marine life activity in the morning when we came across a grey whale cow and calf pair migrating south. Surprisingly, the report that morning pointed out there was only one whale traveling south at the time off of Long Beach Harbor and it was obvious that because there were now two whales, something had happened in that short space of time. The Captain, Erik Combs, could see the fetal folds in the young whale, indicating it had just been born. This is a really unusual phenomenon, because grey whales normally give birth in Mexico. It was very likely the newborn was only a couple of hours old. Having been out many times over the years, this was the first time for me to be present for a newborn and it was fascinating watching the small creature learn to swim with its mother.
Since that excursion, I’ve read that the sightings have been exceptional. My trip on Wednesday was a rare and special experience, as grey whales not only surfaced but were seen jumping and frolicking within an easy distance of the Harbor Breeze Cruise boat. The photos prove it was a lively day fun and feeding for these wondrous creatures of the deep. There are whale watching cruises daily at 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm, and 9:00 am cruises on the weekend.
