San Diego Whale Watching in America’s Finest City – An infographic by the team at Marriott San Diego Hotels
When I was a wee child, I was slightly obsessed with ocean life. I’m not really sure what started this obsession, but it was intense. I have a feeling that it started because we always lived in a coastal community. The famed ocean wildlife artist Wyland was painting a mural, and I can remember making my mom take me down there a couple times a week to watch!
One of my very favorite things to do is to go whale watching. I was lucky enough to grow up in Southern California, in an area that happened to be on the migratory path of the majestic Gray whale. Because of my obsession, we used to go on one of the fantastic whale watching tours each year. Of course, looking back on it now, I realize that, perhaps, my family fed into my obsession. Hmmm…
Anyhoo…We’d generally get up on a cold and dreary Saturday morning and head down to the pier a couple towns over. We’d generally leave out of Dana Point or Newport Beach, both of which are just slightly north of San Diego. This would be usually be very early in the morning, before the coastal fog had burned off for the day. We’d queue up with about a hundred or so of our fellow whale watching enthusiasts and board the sightseeing ship for the morning. And out to sea we go!
We’d generally head out towards Catalina Island, which is an island off the coast of Southern California. It’s not far from San Diego, either. Maybe 25 miles or so north. Usually, we’d see at least a few Gray whales and some young calves. A couple times, we saw large pods of whales, which is both exciting and a bit frightening! I mean, think about it. If these whales felt that they were in danger, they could easily capsize our sightseeing boat! Of course, any decent boat will get close enough to see without interfering with the migratory paths. Most ship captains really respect, and have a healthy fear of, the creatures of the deep blue.
Gray whales aren’t the only creatures that you may see on a whale watching expedition. Oh no. We’ve also seen dolphins frolicking alongside the boat, sea birds have paid visits, and even various types of fish have been spotted.
I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, however all content and opinions expressed here are my own.