Today I went on an amazing winter whale watching adventure!
We were able to watch a gray whale as it migrated south toward Mexico along the coast of San Diego!
I and other passengers aboard the Adventure Hornblower tour ship left San Diego Bay as the sun broke through morning clouds, and we set about searching for whales and other marine wildlife off Point Loma.
Not only did we get a great view of a gray whale repeatedly surfacing, spouting, then fluking before its longer dives, but we spotted a pod of feeding dolphins out on the beautiful Pacific Ocean, too!
I must say the crew of the Adventure Hornblower was super nice and provided a really memorable experience!
Here come my photographs…
As I waited on the Embarcadero for our departure, I was able to rest on a bench and regard our whale watching ship, the Adventure Hornblower.
Looking back at the city as we head across San Diego Bay toward the ocean.
As we cruised down the channel, we got a good look at beautiful Point Loma.
I see two iconic landmarks in San Diego! The Old Point Loma Lighthouse, and the slender statue of Cabrillo to the right of those Torrey Pine trees.
The end of the Point Loma peninsula. We’re almost out on the wide Pacific Ocean!
We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect early January day. It was a good idea to wear layers and a jacket, however!
Here and there you’d see other boats out on the blue ocean. Those hazy mountains way in the distance are in Mexico.
This big fantastic sailboat had reported seeing a whale. The captains of competing tours cooperate out on the water, sharing their sightings, for the benefit of all.
We’re slowly, carefully nearing a solitary gray whale as it journeys through the ocean.
A spout! The passengers all rushed forward!
Our first look at a fluke!
This gray whale has lots of barnacles! Hence the gray appearance.
We keep following at a safe distance, not wanting to disturb a graceful giant of the deep.
Wow! A great zoom photo of a spout!
The gray whale has spouted, leaving a watery mist above. The enormous mammal begins to dive under again.
Another fluke, which means the gray whale will be submerged for perhaps five minutes.
As we head back in to San Diego after a couple of amazing hours on the ocean, we pass many sailboats heading out. Beyond the one in this photo is Point Loma’s modern lighthouse, down near the water.
The hazy downtown skyline is up ahead in the distance, on the other side of Coronado.
After entering San Diego Bay, we slowly swung by the live bait barge to check out lots of sea lions.
What a life. Catch a few fish, take a lazy nap in the San Diego sunshine.
Getting closer to home.
Back at the Embarcadero. That’s the Coronado Ferry about to dock in front of us.
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Downtown San Diego has been my home for many years. My online activities reflect my love for writing, blogging, walking and photography.
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7 thoughts on “Amazing look at a gray whale off San Diego!”
We drove down to Baja last year to visit the birthing lagoon for the Gray Whales. I highly recommend it if you ever have a chance! We actually got to touch a couple of whales that came right up to our boat.
Cool San Diego Sights! 
What an amazing trip, must’ve been wonderful to see the whales!
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It was!
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When we visited San Diego some years ago, we spotted a whale from the cliffs on the drive out to Point Loma.
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Very cool!
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We drove down to Baja last year to visit the birthing lagoon for the Gray Whales. I highly recommend it if you ever have a chance! We actually got to touch a couple of whales that came right up to our boat.
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I’ve heard others talk about the experience, too. Maybe some day I’ll have a chance!
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