Northbound Sightings of Grays
Gray whale fluke Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
James S.
Thursday, March 01, 2018
Hello everyone, it’s been pretty active on the water even with the wind and the cooler temperatures we’re still getting lots of fin and gray whale sightings out on the water along with the many dolphins, seals and sea lions, and even a shark! The crews with Harbor Breeze have been excellent at finding so many sightings for our guests and the photo ID interns to record. We’re now seeing some consistent north moving gray whales during our trips and still seeing a few southbound gray whales. During March the migration sightings quickly transition to only spotting northbound gray whales and by April we should only see northbound whales, with a few exceptions. Every once in a while we get a couple offseason gray whales, who are often juveniles, that just aren’t on the same time scale as the rest of the population at the time. According to the ACS gray whale census, the end of February has been a boom of whale sightings as compared to last year with a total for the whole migration season of 1114 whales sighted (both north and south moving) as of Feb. 28.
One of the great things about gray whale season is that Harbor Breeze offers a couple additional opportunities to get out on the water and have some fun exploring our local ocean habitat. From now through April guests can get out on 9, 12, and 3 pm whale watches, learn about our local sea life and the intricate nature of the coastal habitat and then when you get back to dock you can visit the Aquarium to explore the 12,000 animals we have on display. Follow the link to book your combo ticket to the Aquarium of the Pacific and Harbor Breeze Cruises. The Aquarium is open 9-6pm every day and during the spring there are numerous weekend festivals and night events to plan into your trip to Long Beach. So come on down and join us for a whale watch!
See you on the water!
Gray whale fluke coming above the water Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale fluke Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whales displaying courting and potential mating behavior Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale fluke Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale fluke coming above the water Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Bottlenose dolphins at the surface Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Bottlenose dolphin leaping in the air Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale blow Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale dorsal ridge Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whales blowing Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whales at the surface, one with a blow Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Common dolphin porpoising Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Pacific white-sided dolphin with old damage to its dorsal fin Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Pacific white-sided dolphins with bottlenose dolphins Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale dorsal ridge Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale dorsal ridge Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale heart shaped blow Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
LA lighthouse on the way in from a whale watch Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale fluke with the port in the background Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific