Dana Wharf Whale Report: Gray Whales Arrive Off the Coast

Every week, Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching provides the Dana Point Times and San Clemente Times a report on the week’s whale and dolphin sightings from naturalist Laura Lopez, in addition to a weekly log.

Here is Lopez’s report for the past week:

This week we saw our first Gray whales of the season as they are on the long journey to the warm lagoons of Baja. Both Gray whales we encountered appeared to be juveniles and observed, as they were passing just outside the Dana Point Harbor entrance as we were leaving on our noon trips on Thursday and Friday. 

Just one day earlier, Captain Brian Wooley found a pod of Pacific white-side dolphin, as they raced to bow ride the Sum Fun fishing vessel. Pacific white-sided dolphins, known for the distinct coloring that give them their name, are very playful and highly social much like common dolphin and are only seen off the southern California coast during the cooler winter months. Some even say, they lead the Gray whales down the coast. 

There were also humpback whales traveling south, sometimes feeding and fin whales continue to be found foraging off the coast.

Pods of 20-30 very energetic offshore bottlenose, including calves were in our area throughout the week. Many days we were treated to great aerial displays as they surfed and breached, launching in the air several at a time in the wake of the Ocean Adventures. Long-beaked common dolphin were also found, including a megapod feeding with one of the humpback whales.

Here is the latest Whale Watching Log from Dana Wharf Whale Watching:

Dec. 13 – 3 Gray Whales, Bottlenose Dolphin

Dec. 12 – No Trips Due to Weather

Dec. 11 – No Trips Due to Weather

Dec. 10 – 3 Fin Whales, Bottlenose Dolphin, Common Dolphin

Dec. 9 – 1 Gray Whale, Bottlenose Dolphins

Dec. 8 – 2 Humpback Whales, 1 Gray Whale, Bottlenose Dolphin, Common Dolphin