The most common sightings of gray whales off the Southern California coast occur between December and April, as they're migrating between Alaska and Mexico (animals.nationalgeographic.com). The 12,000-mile annual round trip takes them from their feeding grounds to their breeding grounds. Gray whales look scaly, with white mottling on their gray patches. Older whales reach a length of up to 50 feet and can weigh up to 40 tons.
The blue whales are in the Orange County area May through mid-November, but are not as easily sighted because of their smaller numbers. While this marine mammal is the largest known animal to have ever lived, it was also almost hunted to extinction (animals.nationalgeographic.com) The blue-gray shades of the whale make it more attractive than the gray; it weighs up to 150 tons and can reach a length of 90 feet, but the Pacific blues are smaller than those from other waters.
While on the water you'll probably catch sight of pods of dolphin, sea lions, fish and seagulls following the boat. In recent years, thousands of dolphins sightings have been reported off the Orange County coast, particularly off Dana Point (arlingtoncardinal.com). The dolphins, unlike the whales, play alongside the boat, jumping out of the water and swimming around the vessel. The older sea lions literally hang out on top of each other, on the large buoys in the water, beyond the jetties of the two harbors. Their pups have to maneuver around in the ocean. Sometimes you'll catch a sea lion napping in the sea, floating with the tip of its nose just out of the water.
Before setting out on the trip, the captain lets passengers know what to expect (dolphinsafari.com). By law, the boats have to trail the whale by about 100 yards. The captains of the boats maintain contact with one another, so you will usually be surrounded by other boats when there is a sighting. The whales stay underwater for 10 to 15 minutes, so be patient.
Usually the boats stay within three miles of the shoreline. The temperature hovers around 15 degrees cooler than on shore, so be prepared with layers of clothes. Bring a camera, sunscreen, water and food if you wish.
