California Gold: Whale Watching from Long Beach to PV

A dolphin approaches the boat.

Text and photos by Jason McKenney

The boat came to a near standstill, slowly drifting with the tide like a giant carcass. The tour guide asked the captain to shut down the motor while we waited for the beast to rise back to the surface. It had been nearly six minutes since it last went down. While they can stay under water for much longer, they were usually below for 5-10 minutes on this day.

"They're just having fun with us," the tour guide said. "They're hiding now, but they'll pop up nearby just to say hi."

Passengers roamed from one side of the boat to the other, scanning the with binoculars. The breeze was cold but the sky was clear. I tightened up my hoodie and readied my camera for the next breach.

We had left the Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach nearly two hours earlier. I was on a whale watching tour north towards San Pedro in hopes of spotting a blue whale or two. It was March. We were a couple miles off the coast and my stomach was turning a little. I rarely get seasick, but the waves were a bit choppy and I was doing my best to stay settled. We had spotted a few dolphins swimming along the side of the boat on our way out. They were moving right along with us. Playful little critters. Acting as if they were dodging the speeding hull, daring one another to move ever closer to its edge.

A whale breaks the surface.

"There she blows!" Someone actually yelled that when the first mist was seen.

Whales don't actually blow water out their blow holes come to found out. The blow hole apparently is their nose. Upon return from their deep dives they expel the air they had sucked in previously. This
warm air (from being inside the whale's body for so long) condenses upon contact with the cooler air above water and forms a mist. Two whales broke the surface just as another whale-watching boat was approaching from the opposite side, maybe a quarter mile away from us.

Leviathan.

"Don't scare them off," an older lady complained. "Go find your own whales."

The whales migrate through this area during the spring, moving south to find cooler waters before summer. During the winter, they will migrate back towards the equater to breed. Along this stretch of coastline people can seen blue whales, gray whales, and humpbacks along with several smaller breeds. They can sometimes be easily seen from the land. A small gray whale nearly came right up on shore once on Redondo Beach, playing for its audience.

Flukes up!

The complete whale watching tour lasted nearly 4 hours. From February to April are the best times to go and see these beautiful animals, so take a camera, your sunscreen, and a maybe some Dramamine.

Whale tail preparing to splash.

Folks watch the performance from the deck.

A pod of dolphins approach the boat.

The lighthouse of Palos Verdes on a beautiful day.