Whales of Southern California
This page will give you some information about Whale Watching in Southern California and what type of Whales you might see
Gray Whale Tail Fluke from one of my many Whale Watching adventures
The waters off Southern and Central California are great places for Whale Watching with a wide variety of Marine Life. On my Whale Watching trips I have seen many different Marine Mammals including 5 (possibly 6) species of Whale.
I personally have seen Gray Whales, Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, Fin Whales, a Minke Whale and what was being called a Fin but might possibly have been a Bryde's Whale. The Humbacks I have only seen in Santa Barbara (and most the Blues) but they are seen down in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas also. It's also possible to see Orcas, Sperm Whales, Pilot Whales and a number of other lesser known species and I hope to add them to my list someday.
Finback Whale very close to shore
Gray Whales migrate past the California coastline from approximately November until May. The best months to see the Gray Whales are January to March. Gray Whales are the most common Whales seen in these waters.
For more information on all species of Whales check out the Whale pages at cetacea.org
Blue Whale on a nice sunny day
The Blue Whale and Humpack Whale photos are from Santa Barbara Whale Watching trips. I have seen MANY Blue Whales there and quite a few Humpbacks including that friendly approach. I have seen Blue Whales while observing from shore in Palos Verdes with the Gray Whale Census and also on a recent Whale Watching trip (read about it in my forum) out of Long Beach but so far no Humbacks (personally) this far south. The Minke I also saw while at the Census but I have no pictures and I have seen many Fin Whales there too.
Though all the species mentioned can be seen in all waters off So Cal the best chance of seeing Blue Whales and Humpback Whales is by going Whale Watching out of Santa Barbara where they feed in channel. Further north in Monterey Bay is also a great place to see a wide variety of Marine Life though I haven't had a chance to go myself.
Humpback Whale during a friendly approach on the June 03 Whale Watch trip
Return to
~Whale Watching - Whales of Southern CA~
During the Gray Whale migration (winter/spring) I like to go Whale Watching out of Newport Beach or Dana Point but I have also went out of San Pedro. I would recommend
For Blue Whales and Humpback Whales (summer/fall) I go to Santa Barbara. I would highly recommend
I have seen Whales on all four Whale Watching trips with them. Blue Whales on 3 out of 4 trips, Humpbacks on 2 out of 4 trips and Dolphin on 2 out of 4 trips. The Condor also does Gray Whale Watching during the migration but since I can go locally I haven't done that yet. There is a better change to see Orcas there (unfortunately preying on Gray Whale calfs).
Some day I hope to make it to Monterey (among many other places) and Monterey Bay Whale Watch has an excellent website
For more recent stories and Whale Watching photos please visit the Whale Watchers Unanimous Message Board. My Whale Watching stories will be posted there first as will my most recent photos of Whales, Dolphins, Sealions or any other forms of Marine Life. Photos, stories and information from others will be posted there too. Come share your own Whale Watching adventures, photos or information.
*Changes and additions may come to these pages at any time.
Please feel free to link these pages or the Forum to your own site. If you have a Cetacean or other Marine Mammal site that you want linked here post a message in the forum.
My Other Forums - Munchkin Kitty King * Horsewhisperers