During the year as many as 27 species of cetaceans (whales and porpoises) visit California coastal waters, delighting
visitors with upclose encounters. For the best opportunity to spot these behemoths and their cousins of the deep,
catch an whale watching excursion from any of the area marinas.
The following coastal landmarks offer the best land-based locations for spotting whales - usually during the
California Gray Whale migration (Jan-Mar):
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Barbara Whale Festival - Late March
Held on State Street between the Train Station & Stearns Wharf;
Festival Website;
Usually held on the last weekend in March, two full days of fun, food, arts and crafts.
Displays on whale watching tours, whale information-stations, diving demonstrations, a children's carnival, rubber duck race, and more.
Exhibition of artwork by local marine artists.
Point Dume State Beach - Malibu CA
At the end of Westward Beach Road, a gradual ascending trail leads to an ancient coastal bluff sand dune.
Point Dume State Preserve features headlands, cliffs, rocky coves and vast beach access.
Point Dume is a perfect place to watch for California gray whales during the December - March migration period.
California Coastal National Monument
Established in 2000, the California Coastal National Monument runs the entire length of the
California coast (1,100 miles) between Oregon and Mexico, extends 12 nautical miles from the shoreline, and encompasses
thousands of BLM administered islands, rocks, exposed reefs, and pinnacles above mean high tide.
These provide forage and breeding grounds for significant populations of coastal birds and sea mammals.
Cabrillo National Monument - Point Loma
Located on the tip of Point Loma - this major landmark offers the best
scenic views of the San Diego skyline and a host of other great features.
It is also a great vista to watch the big ships sail in or out of San Diego Bay.
The monument includes a tall statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who is credited with the discovery of San Diego Bay on
Sept 28, 1542 and the first European to ever set foot on what is now the US West Coast.
There are also several scenic hiking trails down to tidepools along the coast and a terrific vantage point for whale watching.
California Area Cetaceans
During the year as many as 27 species of cetaceans (whales and porpoises) visit California coastal waters.
California Gray Whale - (Eschrichtius Robustus)
Every year (Jan-Mar), some 28,000 gray whales follow the coastline northwards to their nutrient-rich
Alaska summer feeding grounds following their breeding season in the warm waters off Baja California. These whales
can weigh upto 100,000 pounds and can be seen spouting, breaching, and smacking their tail flukes on the water.
Only member of the family Eschrichtiidae, the gray whale is a mysticete, or baleen whale. Visitors to the calving and breeding lagoons sometimes
encounter the phenomenon of the "friendlies"; gray whales that closely approach small boats and allow themselves to be touched by humans.
Blue Whale - (Balaenoptera Musculus)
The Blue Whale (close relative of the humpback) is the largest mammal, possibly the largest animal, to ever inhabit the earth.
Its blowholes are contained in a large, raised "splash guard", and the blow is tall and straight and over 20 feet (6 meters) high.
The blue whale makes deep and rumbling sounds which can be felt as much as heard. These low-frequency sounds travel long distances through water,
allowing blue whales to communicate with each other over hundreds of miles of ocean.
Frequent summer (Jun-Oct) visitor to California waters.
Humpback Whale - (Megaptera Novaeangliae)
The shape and color pattern on the humpback whale's dorsal fin and flukes (tail) are as individual in each animal as are fingerprints in humans.
Found in all the world's oceans, most populations of humpback whales follow a regular migration route, summering in temperate and polar waters for feeding,
and wintering in tropical waters for mating and calving. Frequent summer (Jun-Oct) visitor to California waters. There are about
35,000 humpbacks worldwide.
Two unique characteristics make the Humpbacks popular. They exhibit active acrobatics such as breaching, tail lobbing and flipper slapping.
They also the most interesting behavior of "singing." Scientists have discovered that humpback whales sing long, complex "songs".
A typical song lasts from 10-20 minutes, is repeated continuously for hours at a time, and changes gradually from year to year.
Singing whales are males, and the songs may be a part of mating behavior.
Common Dolphin
Delphinus Delphis (short-beaked) & Delphinus Capensis (long-beaked)
The common dolphin is found in all tropical and warm-temperate waters. The long-beaked common dolphin is found more in coastal waters;
the short-beaked common dolphin is found in offshore waters and is the species that occurs frequently in the eastern tropical Pacific.
Both long-beaked and short-beaked common dolphins frequent the Southern California Bight.
Orca - Killer Whales
Killer whales are actually not whales but the largest member of the Dolphin family.
Baird's Beaked Whale - (Berardius Birdii )
Baird's beaked whale is the largest of all the beaked whales, sometimes reaching a maximum length of 42 feet (12.8 m).
This species may be the only large beaked whale found in the North Pacific. Because it tends to avoid ships, sightings of Baird's beaked whales
are infrequent. Its blow is low and indistinct, which may be another reason why they escape detection at sea.
Pacific White-Sided Dolphin - (Lagenorhynchus Oliquidens)
Avid bow-riders and acrobatic jumpers, they are found abundantly in the coastal waters of the Northern Pacific.
Risso's Dolphin - (Grampus Griseus)
One of the largest members of the dolphin family, it is identified by its distinctive rounded head. Adult Risso's dolphins are usually dark gray with
extensive white scarring. The scars can be scratches, splotches, or circular marks and, in some animals, can be so extensive that the entire body appears to be white.
They are frequent visitors to California's Monterey Bay.
Dall's Porpoise - (Phocoenoides Dalli)
This uniquely marked black and white porpoise is widely regarded as one of the fastest swimmers of the ocean, reaching speeds of upto 30 mph.
Sometimes found bow-riding to large vessels in the Northern Pacific.
Pilot Whale -
Globicephala melaena (long-finned) & Globicephala macrorhynchus (short-finned)
Actually the second largest member of the dolphin family and a close cousin
to the Killer Whale
Sperm Whale - (Physeter Macrocephalus)
Largest of the toothed whales, found in nearly all of the world's oceans and is best known for its portrayal of the dangerous leviathan
in Melville's famous novel Moby Dick. The head of the sperm whale is blunt and squared off, and has a small, underslung jaw.
It is the deepest diver of large whales, descending upto 3000 feet for upto an hour at a time.
North Pacific Right Whale - (Eubalaena japonica)
The right whale is a large, bulky baleen whale of unusual appearance. Its upper and lower jaws are highly curved, allowing its long baleen plates to be enclosed while swimming.
Its rostrum (upper jaw) is narrow and is often covered by "callosities," hardened patches of skin that occur in the facial area.
Right whales are black all over except for the belly, where there is often a white patch. This species was aggressively hunted by commercial fishermen
as a source of whale oil.
Whale Watching Tours
Whale Watching Excursions
The following California marinas are home to whale-watching charters and ferries.
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