San Diego Whale Watching: December 20th, 2018
“Is this an ordinary whale watching trip?” asked a crew member.
“No, we only provide extraordinary whale watching trips!” exclaimed Captain Troy. Today was no exception.
The American Cetacean Society in Los Angeles has had a gray whale census operated by volunteers from a lookout on the Palos Verdes Peninsula since 1984. This year, they did not have any gray whale sightings until December 15th. After that initial sighting, the numbers of whales passing Palos Verdes has been rising. Now, the sightings are regular. Here in San Diego, Next Level Sailing once again spotted whales. This is the third day in a row that we have successfully found whales. Captain Troy exclaimed, “The whale migration is ON!” Today for the first time this season, there have been multiple sightings off San Diego’s coast.
Passengers and crew sailed alongside one grey whale today, and we also caught a glimpse of a pair swimming just 4 miles behind us. Our friendly single gray whale was swimming south at a speed of 3.5 knots. This whale gave us the best show, showing us his tail several times.
The ocean was beautiful, and the water was crystal clear. We enjoyed sunny 70-degree weather today. The sea conditions are awesome and will continue through the weekend.
Today was a great example of why San Diego as a whole has the highest whale watching success compared to other ports around the world. Why? Cooperation and camaraderie of captains out on the ocean. Despite being from different companies, all the whale watching captains work together out on the ocean. “We leave the competition at shore,” says Captain Troy. He explained, “out on the water, everyone wins if we work together.” The captains really do work hard, covering a large amount of ground to find a whale. It’s awesome to have separate eyes out there, working towards a common goal. This attitude is not true in other ports around the world. Just another reason San Diego is truly the best place in the world for whale watching.
See you soon!
