California Official Visitor's Guide 2018 - 53

WHALE-WATCHING
TOURS
Check out these up-close
tours along California's coast
M EN D O C I N O COU N TY
All Aboard Adventures in Fort Bragg
promises a 95 percent chance of seeing
whales from its 45-foot charter boats
(tours December to April).
allaboardadventures.com
SA N F RA N C I SCO
Tours by SF Bay Whale Watching take
you to the whale action in the Greater
Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
from December to March.
sfbaywhalewatching.com

feet away. It seems like a miracle of survival.
While we have been watching, the wind has picked up.
The water is dotted with whitecaps. The boat is pitching
and dipping. The cow and her calf get separated. A few
people on board who seem to know a thing or two express concern. Apparently it's not normal for a calf and cow to swim apart.
But these two are doing just that-farther and farther as we watch.
I'm not alone among the passengers in not wanting to turn away until
the whales find each other. The captain is anxious too, and he lingers while
they swim in opposite directions. Having spent three hours on my previous excursion without seeing whales, I think I've come to, at least in part,
understand the vastness of the ocean and how it's able to hide such large
creatures. So the whales must unite, or I worry they will be lost to one another for good. Eventually, mother and calf find each other and we head off.
The boat tears toward the Channel Islands at what seems to be an
alarming speed, plunging into the furrow of waves as we search along a
marine shelf for more whales. But there are no more whales; or if there are,
the ocean does not yield them up to us.
After three more hours combing the water, we return to the harbor.
The ocean has kept some of its secrets, and I like that; it's what drives the
imagination. And while I would like to say that I saw a blue whale, the fact
that such an animal exists adds to the mystery. They are there, I know; and
if I keep looking, I might someday see them. But I'm also okay for now with
simply believing in their existence-because the experience of questing is
as keen somehow as the shock of actually seeing them.
Nevertheless, I remain determined to see the blues. And I will certainly
look again-especially because my excursions have reminded me that one
of the reasons I moved to Los Angeles was the Pacific, a truly majestic part
of the world located just 20 minutes from my house.
Above, from left to
right: A humpback
whale slapping its tail
in Monterey Bay; the
author awaits a sighting in Dana Point

SA N TA C RUZ
Moss Landing is a magnet for humpbacks from April to October. Get up
close with a kayaking tour by Venture
Quest. santacruzkayak.com
SA N TA BA R BA RA
The Condor Express explores the Santa
Barbara Channel year-round, with a
focus on different kinds of whales depending on season. condorexpress.com
V EN TU RA
Island Packers takes visitors to Channel
Islands National Park, but they also do
just-whale-watching tours to spot gray,
humpback, and blue whales.
islandpackers.com
LO N G B EAC H
Board a catamaran with Harbor Breeze
Yacht Charters and Cruises. Tours run
year-round, so even if it's not prime
whale season, you'll at least see dolphins. 2seewhales.com
O RA N GE COU N TY
Whales seem to be drawn toward the
tall cliffs of Dana Point. Get a unique
view with Captain Dave's Dolphin &
Whale Watching Safari, whose boats
have underwater-viewing capability.
dolphinsafari.com
SA N D I EGO
Winter tours stay closer to San Diego
Bay, while summer tours by H&M Landing head toward the Coronado Islands
to see whales, elephant seals, and orcas
in a nature conservancy.
whalewatchingathmlanding.com

VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

| 53


http://www.allaboardadventures.com http://www.sfbaywhalewatching.com http://www.santacruzkayak.com http://www.condorexpress.com http://www.islandpackers.com http://www.2seewhales.com http://www.dolphinsafari.com http://www.whalewatchingathmlanding.com http://www.VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

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