« Great Places To Visit In Bristol | Home | Infant American Passport – Find Your Child A US Passport With Ease »
CA Whale Watching
By CruiseDirector | March 15, 2010
CA whale watching in Monterey Bay is like going on an African safari. During the fall, spring and summer, 90-foot-long blue whales migrate through the deep submarine canyons near the shore, sometimes coming up for air or a feeding. The winter and spring showcase the gray whales on their way down to Baja, California. At any given time, you might see a humpback, a minke, a fin or a killer whale, or even the elusive sperm whale. “The diversity is pretty amazing,” admits Nancy Black, a Monterey Bay whale-watch marine biologist.
There are many factors that make whale watching in California a cut above the rest, particularly the Monterey Bay harbor cruise whale watching. For instance, Monterey Bay is one of the few places you can witness killers hunting grays. Normally, the grays will stick to shallow waters during their mid-December to April migration. However, the grays must venture much deeper into killer whale territory to cross the Monterey Canyon, which often results in bloody conflict. During the rest of the year, visitors will see humpbacks and blues hunting smaller prey like anchovies and krill. “This year there’s been so much krill it looks like the sea is stained with red,” explains Keith Stemler of Princess Monterey Whale Watching. And more krill means more whales, he adds.
Keith Stemler of Princess Monterey Whale Watching says what makes CA whale watching so wonderful to him is the unpredictability of what you’ll see and those special close encounters. One time he noted a particularly curious humpback whale making its way toward the boat, occasionally spouting up a little bit of water. The tourists could hardly get their cameras out in time, when the whale went under the boat and came up on the other side, spewing water all over them! “You haven’t lived until you’ve been slimed by a humpback,” Stemler chuckles.
Over the last three decades, CA whale watching has made a major comeback. Once an endangered species, the gray whale variety have found a safe haven to raise their young and feed here, free from the dwindling whale hunting industry in other parts of the world. Today, California whale watchers spot something 98% of the time. “There was a week this summer where we were seeing 100 humpbacks in a quarter mile,” explains Nancy Black, who is no stranger to whale encounters. “They were bumping into each other.” There is something magical about seeing whales in their natural environment. Whale watching boats can go out every day of the week and see something completely different, which is all part of the allure. For more information, check out Monterey Bay Whale Watching Cruises, Randy’s Fishing and Whale Trips or Princess Monterey Whale Watching.
Beth Kaminski is the leading expert in the field of treatment for anxiety attacks and cure panic attack cures. For more information on tips to stop these attacks as well as how to deal with panic attacks, visit her site today.
Topics: Caribbean Cruise | No Comments »