SPRING: We have the northbound migration of the California gray whale, as well as the arrival of the humpbacks, and frequent visitations by killer whales.
We were featured in National Geographic's "Whale Attack," which was a recreation of one of our Mother's Day cruises, during which we witnessed an orca attack on a gray whale cow and calf. We have since seen many such sights. Orcas sightings occur throughout the year.
The humpback whales are part of a population of over 900 that are born in the winter in southern waters. They migrate up here to feed spring through fall. They are the ultimate scene-stealers! They're the acrobats of the great whales. We see lots of them, including mothers with calves. Those calves are rambunctious and often breach over and over. What a hoot! We also see Pacific white-sided dolphins, Risso's dolphins and northern right whale dolphins.
SUMMER: A great time for whale watching here, with every month of the season providing excellent sightings. Humpbacks, blues whales (the biggest creatures on earth for size and mass), sperm whales, fin whales, minke whales, orcas and more can be found in our waters. Blue whales start to show up around midsummer and are often frequently seen through fall.
They are the biggest living thing on the planet for size and mass and you'll get goose bumps the first time you see one, guaranteed. They simply take your breath away.
We also often see large pods of Pacific white-sided dolphins, Risso's dolphins, northern right whale dolphins and others. We sometimes see common dolphins mothers and babies in the summer in nursery pods. Generally, common dolphins are considered our winter dolphins, You can't imagine the fun and excitement of experiencing this firsthand.
FALL: We have humpback whales, blue whales and several species of dolphins and porpoises including killer whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Risso's dolphins, northern right whale dolphins, Dall's porpoise and others. We see killer whales many times throughout the year. Some of our best weather is in the fall, when we have many calm, beautiful days and marine life galore.
WINTER: Blues and humpbacks give way to grays, although we have seen blues, humpbacks, orcas and gray whales all at the same time before the blues and humpbacks finally headed south.
All winter, we see gray whales, with orcas showing up every so often. First, the grays are southbound. Then in February we see them going both ways, before most are headed north from the lagoons of Baja to the Bering and Chuchki seas.
Common dolphins are often here in the thousands. We also see other dolphins and porpoises, including orcas, northern right whale dolphins, Pacific white-sided dolphins and Dall's porpoise. Some winters, we experience an influx of Humboldt squid from Mexico. When this has happened, we've seen Risso's dolphins in pods of over 7,000! While Risso's are common here and marvelous, seeing them every direction for miles and miles is especially impressive.
