Whale Watching Around Catalina Island
Continued - The story and pictures of my March '04 all day Whale Watching trip around Catalina.
Shortly after leaving the Common Dolphin we saw at west end we found some Bottlenose Dolphin on the back side of Catalina. They also came over for some bow riding and to have a look at us. I think we were going a little slow for their preference. It's neat to watch them turn on their sides to take a look at us humans. Bottlenose Dolphin are much bigger then the Common Dolphin but both are so beautiful.
We headed off again and soon came across another larger pod of Bottlenose Dolphin. These Bottlenose were much more active then the ones we just left and we got to see more leaps and acrobatics. One Dolphin did a HUGE leap out of the water twice in a row. The first breach had to be at least 10 to 12 feet in the air.... maybe more! Of course I was not ready with my camera. They were also a bit spread out so it was hard to determine which way to look. We watched these Bottlenose for a while then went off again looking for Whales.
By now the seas had become much more choppy and the wind had really picked up. Finally we spotted a blow. We found our first Gray Whale of the day! We turned to follow him but it was difficult because the Whale was heading into the wind. It was cold and we kept getting sprayed when we hit waves. This Gray Whale didn't keep to any regular pattern making it hard to pace and follow. We then turned back to continue around the Island and see what else we could find. The Island itself was very nice to see as well since I had never been. We spotted another Blow. This Whale was easier to see and easier to follow but we still had to turn in to the wind. We got a few good looks and also realized there was a second Whale there then we had to turn back again. We were running late and it was time to head back. We continued to the eastern end of Catalina Island to make our way back to San Pedro.
As we headed back the seas became more rough and it was more windy. Me and some others got very wet on the front of the boat before we resigned ourselves to going to the back. We did see another pod of Common Dolphin on our way back. The Dolphin were traveling and were leaping out of the water quite a bit just on their regular breaths due to the choppy seas. In the picture to the left the Dophin are quite far away but I did manage to finally catch a shot of leaping Dolphin! This was also when we finally had a bit more sun.
It was a great trip even though we didn't get to see much of the Whales. Dolphin are just so much fun! I added another species to my list and the Bald Eagle was really cool! For the day we saw Seals, Sealions, thousands of Common Dolphin, lots of Bottlenose Dolphin, some elusive Dahl's Porpoise, Gray Whales and a Bald Eagle! A very successful trip with sightings of something pretty much throughout.
And more good news ....I didn't get sick! I did take many precautions though. The Ginger Ale helps the most I think but I was wearing my wrist bands and took one Dramamine in the morning only. I was able to walk all over the boat including inside the cabin.
Whale Tales - Stories and Photos
~Catalina Whale Watch Trip p3~
Photos and Information pages
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