Latest news with #SanDiegoWhaleWatch
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
‘Sneaky' sea creature circles boaters off California coast. See the photos
A 'sneaky' sea creature held boaters 'hostage' off the coast of California, and onlookers thought the moment was one they 'can't beat.' During a sunset trip in La Jolla Canyon, a pod of 150 long-beaked common dolphins were showing their babies the skills they need to be 'agile' hunters, according to a June 29 Facebook post by the San Diego Whale Watch. Although the hunting lessons made for a 'real crowd pleaser,' the group was 'surprised by the sneakiest minke whale that popped up seemingly out of nowhere,' onlookers said. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in North American waters and can reach lengths of up to 35 feet and weigh 20,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They usually are spotted alone or in groups of two or three, and use side-lunging as a way of feeding on schools of fish, the NOAA said. The 'oh so curious' whale circled boaters and even swam parallel to the boat before offering bystanders a moment of 'belly flashing,' the group said. They got 'good looks at its full face' as it poked its head out of the ocean, the group said. The whale was up for 'antics' as it kept popping up as boaters tried to head back to the harbor making for the 'coolest' moment, the group said.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Miami Herald
Boaters spot ‘greyhounds of the sea' off CA coast. See the ‘non-stop' action
Boaters got 'lucky enough' to spot a plethora of sea creatures off the coast of California, spotting multiple species in one day. On June 30, boaters encountered 'non-stop' action when, in only 200 feet of water, they saw a minke whale, according to a Facebook post by San Diego Whale Watch. Passengers were on the edge of their seat while the whale was 'cruising in every direction,' the group said. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in North American waters and can reach lengths of up to 35 feet and weigh 20,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The whale kept everyone's attention as it kept surfacing before passengers came across a pod of 400 long-beaked dolphins racing through anchovy bait balls, the group said. Soon after, the group spotted one of the 'greyhounds of the sea' – a fin whale, the group said. Fin whales, able to speed at 29 mph, made for a show before onlookers got a chance to see a baby great white shark, the group said. Fin whales are the second-largest whale species on the planet and have a 'distinctive coloration – black or dark brownish-gray on the back and sides and white on the underside,' according to the NOAA. The magic didn't stop there, as the group later spotted a humpback whale breaching and tail-slapping, the group said. Humpback whales' tails can reach 18 feet wide and have different 'pigmentation patterns, in combination with varying shapes and sizes of whales' flukes and/or prominent scars' that can be used as 'fingerprints' to help identify them, according to the NOAA. The boat's captain had a 'great hunch' and began heading toward La Jolla, the group said. Boaters saw a 'massive splash' and after using their binoculars, spotted a 'very surface-active humpback whale' slapping its tail against the ocean's surface, the group said. Then the ultimate show took place, leaving the group 'squealing with excitement' – the humpback breached three times, slapping its tail, before surfacing only 20 feet away from the boat, the group said. Although the breaches were 'random and unpredictable,' which meant photos of the moment were limited, the group was able to land a 'triple baleen whale species day,' the post said.
Miami Herald
23-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Sea creature has boaters thinking they're in a ‘simulation' off CA coast. See it
Sea creatures off the coast of California made for a moment where boaters thought they were in a 'simulation.' On June 19, onlookers got the chance to see a minke whale and 'watched it surface erratically around the boat' before they got the opportunity to witness 'some EPIC dolphin action,' according to a Facebook post by the San Diego Whale Watch. The long-beaked common dolphins were 'on fire' as they ate 'baitball after baitball' onlookers said. The outing was 'one for the books' as the minke whale returned to boaters and 'hung out' by surfacing around the vessel, the group said. Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in North American waters and can reach lengths of up to 35 feet and weigh 20,000 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They usually are spotted alone or in groups of two or three and use side-lunging as a way of feeding on schools of fish, the NOAA said. As the whale watchers looked for more potential wildlife, they came across a 'playful' pod of long-beaked dolphins along with the 'most gorgeous golden sunset,' the group said. The 'glimmering rays' peeked through the clouds, and 'everything lined up perfectly' making for a 'breathtaking' moment, the group said.
Miami Herald
18-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Glassy seas' reveal largest animal on Earth off the CA coast. See ‘real prize'
Boaters off the coast of California got the chance to see the biggest animal on Earth and the group is calling it a 'once in a lifetime' moment. On June 16, the group set out on the 'misty (P)acific with limited visibility' but with 'all the hope in the world' before eventually coming across a baby humpback whale along with some dolphin friends, according to a Facebook post by San Diego Whale Watch. Later, the skies cleared up, creating 'glassy seas' that revealed a pod of 'curious' bottlenose dolphins that would 'zoom up to the bow swimming with their bellies pointed at the boat,' the group said. Then the showstoppers decided to make an appearance – a mama blue whale, the biggest animal on Earth, and her calf, bystanders said. The group even got the chance to see the 'breathtaking' 25-foot span of the tail in the 'rare' sighting, onlookers said. A baby blue whale is the 'world's biggest' baby, being born at 23 feet and weighing in at 6,000 pounds, the group said. They'll gain 10 pounds per hour by drinking their mama's milk. Blue whales can weigh up to 330,000 pounds and grow to 110 feet long, making their length about the same as the height of a 10-story building, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They can live up to 90 years, though there was one that famously lived to be 110 years old, according to the nonprofit Whale and Dolphin Conservation. The group said 'blue whales are super rare and never a sure thing' even to the point where 'not too long ago' researchers thought they could be extinct, which made for this sighting to be a 'real prize,' the post said.
