Southern California Whale Watching Blog

Los Angeles Whale Watching on Facebook

whaleman — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:30:29 +0000

For the many followers of Facebook, you can now follow our Los Angeles Whale Watching on Facebook. Become a fan and keep up to date with all of things involving whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions in the Los Angeles area. We are very excited about having another way to communicate with our friends and find new friends as well.

Follow Us On Twitter

whaleman — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:22:13 +0000

Like many of you, we have entered the realm of social networking. You can now find us on Twitter at the following sites.

Los Angeles Whale Watching

Long Beach Whale Watching

Newport Beach Whale Watching

This allows us to post up to date information on what we are seeing on our whale watching cruises. We will be tweeting about whale and dolphin counts, as well as specials for our whale watching tours. We update our posts daily so make sure to become a follower. We are very excited about this capability to provide you with the most up to date information on what is going on with our California whale watching cruises.

Blue Whale Facts

whaleman — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:28:13 +0000

For those of you wondering some basic facts on Blue Whales, I thought I would post some prior to your whale watching adventure on Harbor Breeze Whale Watching Cruises out of Long Beach, California. In addition to these facts, you can also learn tons of information from the people at The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach who is a partner with Harbor Breeze Whale Watching Cruises. Now, onto the facts:

The Blue Whale is the largest living creature on Earth! Yes, even larger than an elephant!
The record size of a Blue Whale appears to be at least 110 feet long and a weight of 209 tons (It was a female);
Average Length of a Blue Whale: (Male) 82 ft (Female) 85 ft (Birth) 19 1/2 ft
Average Weight of Blue Whale: (Adult) 100-120 tons (Newborn) 2.5-4 tons
Population of Blue Whales: low thousands (best estimate in early 2000)
Diet: Krill and Fish, and lots of them!
Range: All oceans of the world;
Lifespan of a Blue Whale: More than 80 years;
Threats to the Blue Whale: Loss of food, humans and pollution;
A Blue Whale drinks 50-150 gallons of milk a day, adding about 8 pounds of weight per hour, or 200 pounds a day;
At about 8 months of age, when the Blue Whale calf is weened, it can measure close to 50 feet long and weigh about 50,000 pounds;
At sea, Blue Whales usually feed alone or in pairs, often widely spaced
A Blue Whale’s “blow” can reach as high as 30 feet!
During the feeding period, a Blue Whale can ingest 4 tons of krill a day. They feed at the beginning and the end of the night at a depth of at least 130 feet (40 m).
Pre-whaling population estimates were over 350,000 Blue Whales, but up to 99% of Blue Whales were killed during whaling efforts;
Blue Whales have no known predators (other than humans during the whaling years);
By the 1950s, Blue Whales were endangered, but have made a rebound because of conservation methods, which need to be continued.

The Growth of a Blue Whale

whaleman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:28:53 +0000

During a recent cruise, we spotted two blue whales, a mother and her calf. While the calf was no where near the size of mom, it was still very large. I was reminded of some facts that I had forgotten. When a blue whale calf is born, they are usually about 25 feet long and weigh anywhere from three to four tons. They also grow at a phenomenal rate. On average, a blue whale calf will gain eight to nine pounds per hour. They on about 105 gallons of milk per day. After a few months, the calf will continue to nurse but will also begin to start eating krill. Once they are weaned at about seven months, they have usually doubled in length and gained about 60,000 lbs.

I was reminded of these facts by one of the biologists from The Aquarium of the Pacific who are onboard each of the whale watching cruises. It is really helpful to have these experts aboard to answer questions and really explain more about the magnificent creatures we get to see. It makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

Migrating Blue Whales Gives Locals a Thrill

whaleman — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:46:31 +0000

Just a mile out from San Pedro’s Point Fermin Lighthouse, where the ocean floor drops from 150 to 1,000 feet, the largest known mammals to ever inhabit Earth have made themselves at home. Blue whales, which were aggressively hunted for oil and meat until they were placed on the federal endangered species list in 1970, are more plentiful than ever in these waters this year, whale watchers say. On Friday, dozens of voyagers got a front-row seat to observe one of the giant beasts within eyeshot of San Pedro’s ocean cliffs. “See! See! Right there,” shouted a rider on the Christopher, a catamaran operated by Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach. “Whoa! There he is. Oh my gosh.” The whale watchers briefly clapped and shouted with excitement, and then grew hushed at the rare sight of one of the world’s estimated 10,000 blue whales. The whale’s seemingly shrunken dorsal fin breached the foaming water, followed by its massive, ridged gray back. Its two blowholes convulsed and erupted with a powerful breath. Steam shot up into the air and the behemoth lazily bobbed forward, arched down into the water, and flipped its V-shape tail with a delicate whoosh. Natalie Arellano, a 24-year-old Huntington Beach resident, struggled to describe what she felt about the sight. “I am at a loss of words,” Arellano said. “It was gorgeous. I just find it hard to put words to it. To see it, and to know it’s living there in the water…just the idea that the whale has a heart. I have a heart. We’re both living creatures, but it’s in a different world. It’s this incredibly wondrous thing.” As onlookers watched in silence and awe, the boat’s captain recited facts over the intercom: this whale’s heart is the size of a Volkswagen Bug. It is bigger than the largest known dinosaur was. It weighs up to 150 tons, and its tongue weighs as much as an African elephant. The whale submerged and the rolling blue ocean waves became flat and greenish in the spot where it had come above. The blue whale is actually gray, and gets its name because it appears blue against the green ocean waters. “This has been a record year for us seeing blue whales,” said Rancho Palos Verdes resident Dan Salas, who is boat captain and owner of the cruise line. “Since May, we have seen 130. This year, we’ve seen more mothers with their calves than ever before,” Salas said. “The whales are thoroughly enjoying the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Maybe it’s because of Donald Trump.” Experts are not sure why blue whales are being spotted more than ever off the Southern California coast. But no one’s complaining. “It’s looking like it’s shaping up to be one of the best blue whale seasons ever,” said Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a naturalist with the Los Angeles-based American Cetacean Society, who has guided whale-watching tours for three decades. “From what I hear, the numbers just keep increasing daily. It could be a record year.” Blue whales migrated early this year from Mexican waters to Southern California in search of krill, a crustacean that looks like a tiny shrimp. The whales can eat up to 4 tons of krill each day. And humpback whales, normally seen in spring, are also hanging out to feed in huge numbers. The apparent boost in the local blue whale population could be because the waters have gotten cleaner and provide abundant krill. It could also simply be because blue whales did not discover these waters until recently, said Joyce Daniels, a Rancho Palos Verdes resident and member of the American Cetacean Society. “We didn’t use to see many blue whales,” Daniels said. “It’s so nice to see them locally here. We, as humans, tend to be attracted to these other species that are such a mystery to us.” Sarah Theriault, a 12-year-old visiting with her family from Oklahoma, said she was thrilled by the whale sighting. “It was more impressive than I thought,” Theriault said. “I didn’t think I’d see this much. It was big. It was one of those `Whoa, that’s a big fish’ – well, sea mammal – but you know what I mean.” Aravindhan Sriharan, 25, traveled from his Tennessee home to Los Angeles to see a blue whale. He said his Friday whale-watching trip was his third try at getting a glimpse of the magnificent animal. “We were this close to quitting,” said Sriharan, who had already taken two whale tours in Orange County before trying Harbor Breeze Cruises on Friday. “We said we’d give it one more shot. If it doesn’t work, I’ll go home like Ahab – I haven’t found my whale.” But, to his delight and amazement, he did see a whale. “Awe is a good word,” he said, trying to describe the sight. “The sense of magnificence – undefined, unrestricted possibility. “I want to tell my grandkids that I saw this animal before it went extinct.”

Two Blue Whales Spotted This Weekend

whaleman — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:01:29 +0000

During our whale watching tours this weekend, we had the good fortune to see two blue whales, a mother and her calf. We also saw many blows from whales out in the distance. For many of you unfamiliar with what a blow is, it’s the breath of a whale that looks similar to a geyser or a burst of steam from the surface of the water. A whale does this because it is an air breathing mammal, just like you and I. Typically a whale will blow four or five times, the it will go on a deep dive and be underwater for 12 to 15 minutes. The length of time between dives can oftentimes depend on the size of the whale or the depth at which the whale is feeding.

Bison While Whale Watching

whaleman — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:14:10 +0000

While on a Whale Watching tour with Harbor Breeze Whale Watching Tours, we went about half way to Catalina Island. When I saw the island, the people standing next to me asked if I had ever been there. I replied, No. Then they went on to describe the island and mentioned the Bison on the island and told me I could see them up close. They told me about 14 Bison were dropped off about 30 years ago by a movie maker and now there are than 400 on the Island and that the Bison are a great tourist attraction. Well, I know were I am going next weekend.

More Whales Spotted

whaleman — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:52:25 +0000

On the whale watching cruise at Harbor Breeze Cruises out of Long Beach on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, it was an extraordinary day for whale watching. We spotted three giant Blue Whales and hundreds of Dolphins. The whales were close to the boat and were very visible both below the water and above. This was a spectacular trip and the narration from the representative The Aquarium of the Pacific was terrific. Captain Phil was great also! Check out some of these pictures. I took over three hundred!

If you want to take a whale watching cruise and seriously want to see ssome whales in a comfortable enviornment, the people at Harbor Breeze Whale Watching Cruises are the best. I highly recommend this group!

Sea Lions in Long Beach

whaleman — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:03:23 +0000

A good friend took this picture the other day of some sea lions while on a whale watching cruise.

Whale Watching Basics

whaleman — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:07:35 +0000

Whale watching is a fantastic experience that is fun for everyone regardless of age. In southern California, we are fortunate to be able to enjoy seeing these magnificent creatures on a regular basis. Another interesting aspect of whale watching is that in addition to seeing whales, you also have opportunities to see dolphins, seals, sea lions and other marine life up close.

To make your whale watching adventure the best possible, here are a few tips:

Bring Your Camera or Video Recorder – You want to make sure that you don’t forget to bring along your camera, video recorder or both. There will be many opportunities for photographs and video. You will want to be able to document these memories.

Dress Accordingly - It is probably a good idea to bring a light jacket, sweatshirt or sweater along for the ride. Even during the summer, it can get a little chilly on the ocean. You don’t want to diminish the experience by being cold. Also, wear comfortable shoes and clothing. While the amenities are very nice, you will be walking on piers and ramps onto boats.

Don’t Get Seasick - Even if you have a history of seasickness, you can still enjoy a whale watching cruise. There are many over the counter products that will help combat motion or seasickness. While the ride is pretty smooth, there are some waves that might cause sea sickness. A little prevention will make for a much more enjoyable experience.

Make Reservations In Advance – Whale watching in southern California has become a very popular attraction. Many of the cruises fill up very fast. It is always a good idea to purchase your tickets in advance.

With just a little bit of planning, you will be able to get the most enjoyment out of your whale watching experience and leave with a memory that will last a lifetime.