Seeing Dolphins...Lots of Dolphins, Off Newport, California

by Steve Reiss (Dalmdad Landscape Photography - www.dalmdad.com and https://www.facebook.com/Dalmdad.)

I mentioned that back on December 22, 2013 we were going whale watching off of Newport.  We did not have high expectations for actually seeing whales, but it would be a gorgeous day out on the bay and at least an opportunity for me and Joanie to spend some time together.

A sign outside the office of the Davey Jone's Whale Watching Company mentioned having seen thousands of dolphins in the last few days.  I took that as some overly bragging false advertising.  How can you see, yet count, thousands, of dolphins?  It just seemed like a ridiculous claim.  

So, we waited with the other passengers for the boat to pick us up and leave.

First, we passed the holiday decorations in the harbor, 

Then we passed a lazy sea lion hanging out on the dock.

Then we passed some fisherman hanging out on the end of the jetty.
  

Finally, a throng of sea lions taking in the sun.

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We then entered the open sea and just could not believe all the white caps, which were not waves; they were dolphins blowing their holes and flipping and jumping.  For as far as you can see and in all directions.  They were so spread out, my telephoto lens could not properly give an impression of the size of the pod.

As an example, here are two shots of separate dolphin families, aka pods.  I previously posted these two pictures to Face Book.

 We are now glad to add those two shots and around 10 more to our web store.

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Whales and Sea Lions in Newport Harbor (Part 3 of 3 re: Newport Bay/Balboa Peninsula)

by Steve Reiss (Dalmdad Landscape Photography - www.dalmdad.com and https://www.facebook.com/Dalmdad.)

January, 2012: Whale watching is a popular California past-time; from Crescent City, in the far north, to San Diego, in the far south.  From organized whale hunting cruises on all kinds of boats heading out of various California harbors to families of people sitting on benches and roadsides, at places such as the Whale Watcher Cafe in Gorda, CA on the Big Sur coast, with binoculars or without.  Husbands and wives, as we have experienced first hand, typically have friendly fights, over some nachos, over whether or not one saw a whale blowing or diving.

It is our experience that seeing whales on whale cruises is a crap shoot.  Companies usually offer 3-4 tours a day; starting early in the morning.  

The chance of seeing a whale is the same, whether you go in the morning or the afternoon.  However, that does not mean the experiences are the same.

The early morning cruise will have less people.  This is good because it makes it easy to run from side-to-side of the boat depending on where the whales are (especially if you are using a HUGE lens).  Furthermore, the water may be calmer on morning tours.  The downsides to morning cruises are: colder temperatures and deep and damp fog.  In our experience with morning cruises, the fog tends to break just as the boat is steaming back into harbor.  

Going Down...In the Fog (approx. 9:39AM) - Monterey Bay

Back In Harbor With Clear Sky (approx 12:48PM) - Monterey Bay

While the crowds of the later cruise may turn you off, white caps, visible during later in the day, may also make it harder to see the whales.  However, it is frequently the case that all the different whale cruise boats are in constant contact with each other and identifying the most likely places to see a whale.


Whale watching is on the expensive side for a family activity ($30+ a person on the weekend) and it is printed on your ticket that there is no guarantee you will see a whale.  However, it is our experience that most of the reputable captains will give you a free trip at a later date if you don't see anything.  You will likely see dolphins no matter what.
 

Gray Whale Fluke (Newport)

 

Gray Whale Fluke (Newport)

Gray Whale Spouting (Newport)

View of Irvine from off Newport

Gray Whale Fluke Between Boats (Monterey)

Gray Whale Pectoral Fin (Monterey)

Dolphin (Monterey)

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You are also likely to see loads of sea lions.  You can tell these are sea lions and not seals because they can sit up and have ear flaps.  The flippers of a seal are not built for climbing, walking, or standing.  Seals must drag themselves out of the water and up the beach.