The best part about moving from hot dusty landlocked Sacramento to San Diego was that I would finally be right next to the ocean. When I was 4 years old I saw a movie about a boy and his dolphin friend and seriously, I don't remember anyone else in the theater, not even my parents or brothers and sister, obviously one of them must have been there, but I was so mesmerized by this brave new world of beaches and sunshine and bare feet and endless blue waters and creatures like that dolphin , it was as though nothing else existed. Since I was born and lived in Chicago at the time, I had only known grey skys, lots of snow, and dark dark winter nights. So anyway, this movie made quite an impression on me, enough to last a lifetime.
Today I made an impulse decision to head to the harbor and go on a whale watching cruise. There are a number of operations up and down the California coast where the gray whales migrate along with other types of whales like the mighty blues, minke, and fin (hope I got that right). I took a whale watching tour out of Monterey last year and saw two whales that were so far away they just looked like black dots. But it was nice to be out on the ocean and it turned out that happy hour for most of the restaurants on the Monterey pier starts at about noon. : -) The reason why the captain had to keep his distance was because federal law prohibits getting within a certain distance of the whales, which seemed like a mile.
But what if the whale swims near the boat? That's what happened today in San Diego and I got some awesome video. What was so cool was that you could hear the whale spouting. And if you look closely you can see that the whale had an escort of dolphins, the guardians of the sea. You can also spot some sea lions too.
It was a beautiful day, clear with 10 miles of visibility, and the water was as calm as a bathtub. But even in sunny and warm San Diego, it can get really cold out on the ocean. If you go whale watching, dress warmly!! I layered a tank top with a long sleeve cotton tee and a wool sweater over jeans and boots. I also wore a 3/4 length wool coat and a fleece hat, and you know what? I still got a little chilly by the end of the day. And if you tend to get motion sickness, take the dramine well before you get out on the water.
Kudos to Hornblower tours for a great time today. The captain provided lots of informative commentary, and got as close as he could get to the whales without disturbing them, (or breaking the law!) They rent binoculars at the snack bar and serve beer and alcohol along with snack foods like hot dogs and nachos. If you get really cold, you can sit inside in the middeck area and still have a great view. We left at 1:30 and got back around 5:30, just a little late. Check them out at http://www.hornblower.com/.
I posted a couple of videos to show what you typically see, which is the whale way in the distance. But I also got a great video of the whale swimming right in front of the boat.
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