Premiere Small-Boat Whale Watching In Long Beach California
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Fin whales are a species that can be seen year-round off Long Beach. So far this summer they’ve been enjoying a bounty of krill off Southern California alongside their larger counterpart, the Blue whale. We look for the white jaw on the right side of a Fin whale’s rostrum (or head) to identify them. Fin whales are asymmetrically colored with “white on right” and dark brown to black on the left side of their rostrum.
Sea lions will find just about any surface to haul out and take a nap, this spot looks pretty toasty! Sea lions are seen in Long Beach year round and belong to an estimated population of ~250,000!
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Common dolphin are amazing acrobats displaying a variety of breaches, tail slaps, belly flops, tail walks, and more! Southern CA is home to one of the largest concentrated populations of common dolphin in the world, making them a frequent sighting for us🐬
Not only do we see whales and dolphins on our tours, but also amazing pinnipeds like the Guadalupe fur seal! They may look very similar to a sea lion, but we look for their distinctive ear flaps and “jug handling” behavior. Jug handling is done at the surface while resting and warming up; fur seals will hold their flippers together away from their body resembling a jug handle.
The Guadalupe fur seal is listed as a threatened species, with a population estimated to be about 34,000 individuals. These fur seals are protected by law in the United States ()
When you want an idea of what’s going on in the ocean, look to the sky!
Seabirds are “sentinels” of ocean health. As they’re more visible, seabird populations can provide a barometer for the health of our marine ecosystem.
Additionally, observing seabirds like this Tern feeding, indicates what prey marine mammals are feeding on while out on a whale watch. In this case, schooling bait fish is on the menu!
Choose your character! 🦭
Do you think Harbor seals also have a case of the Mondays?
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A gorgeous sight of a waterfall cascading off of a Blue whale’s flukes. Being the largest animal to exist on earth, a Blue whale’s tail can be up to 25ft wide!
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They’ve got a need for speed! Common dolphins can reach speeds upwards of 35mph in short bursts. This “stampede” behavior is often observed when chasing down prey, joining up with another pod, or evading a predator.
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Check out the beautiful waterfall off of this Humpback whale’s flukes! Similar to a human fingerprint, no two whales have the same flukes. Each individual sports a unique set of markings, grooves, or scars. Humpbacks can be seen in our waters year round, with their feeding season concentrated during May-November.
Nothing compares to the magical sight of a Blue whale’s flukes! Blue whales will occasionally lift their flukes out of the water to get a steeper angle when descending on their terminal dive. Typically the whale will resurface after 8-12 minutes and take a series of shallower breaths at the surface before diving again.
Blue whales are foraging for krill in our waters at this time of year, sightings of them ebb and flow depending on prey availability, join us on a tour for a chance at seeing the largest animal to ever live on our planet 🐋
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Check out the amazing camouflage on this Harbor seal hauled out on the jetty rocks. Their speckled fur allows them to blend in with ease. Harbor seals must haul out to dry out their fur, sleep, warm themselves, and digest their previous meal.
Final race day, the wind was up!
Summer sun is out and the Mola mola are loving it!☀️ True to their common name, Sunfish, Molas love to sunbathe and soak up the heat from the sun before diving to colder depths to forage for gelatinous prey such as jellyfish.
With an abundance of krill off Long Beach right now, it’s the perfect time to experience the largest animal that has ever lived on our planet; the Blue whale! 🐋
The mornings are gray but the whales are Blue! It’s been a great start to the Blue Whale season here in SoCal. We’ve had a tremendous amount of krill in the ocean over the last couple of months and the Fin Whales have been feasting. But in the last few days their famous cousins, the Blue Whales, have arrived. This type of activity generally ebbs, flows and moves around throughout the summer so it’s important to enjoy it while it lasts!
Of all the adorable sea creatures we encounter in the wild ocean of Southern California, the Guadalupe Fur Seal is one of my favorites! One of our rarer species it is always a treat to drift by for a minute and take in the cuteness.
A nice way to start the year… beautiful conditions and baby dolphins!
The Orcas near Long Beach today were hunting dolphins. This was a dramatic lunge attack by a large Orca taking down a full grown bottlenose dolphin. The photo was captured by our guest
We got to spend some time with a nursery pod of Common Dolphins near Long Beach today! These groups of females with their calves can take a bit of patience but once you earn their trust they put on an amazing show 🐬
Leaping Thresher Shark! This one was hanging out near the entrance to Long Beach Harbor. We see them hunting in this area often but this one was acting like it was the one on the run.
Humpback Whales just seem to exude personality and character, from their appearance to their behavior! This has been such a great season and as long as they’re still around we’ll be out there appreciating their unique beauty.
The activity in the channel has been pretty incredible lately! This Humpback was one of several feeding in the area this morning.
This enormous Blue Whale has been feeding on krill along the underwater cliffs near Long Beach! It’s great to have these beautiful giants visiting so early in the season. Let’s hope they keep finding what they’re looking for here in our local waters!
This beautiful and active humpback whale was surrounded by hundreds of common dolphins and feeding just 5 miles off the Long Beach Harbor entrance yesterday!
Happy Earth Day!
We were treated to the company of a celebrity today! Flukey the Fin Whale was in rare form and gave our guests a special show.
Fin Whales almost never “fluke”, but Flukey does it often and can be seen foraging in the deep waters near Long Beach from time to time throughout the year.
Happy World Dolphin Day!
Beautiful Velella, also called By-the-wind-sailors, covered parts of the glassy ocean this morning like thousands of bubbles! Each one is a colony that drifts the surface of the ocean, pushed along by the sail-like ridge and feeding on tiny plankton.
We were lucky to get a great look at a resting Elephant Seal this morning. These enormous pinnipeds are known for being extremely shy. They can dive well over a thousand feet and stay down more than an hour! I geek out on these amazing creatures, but honestly I think the guest were more excited about the feeding Humpbacks and thousand or so dolphins!
Just a few miles offshore it feels like a world away from bustling port of Los Angeles!
200 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA
90802
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With this beautiful Blue Whale hanging out in Long Beach today, here’s hoping for some more late season visits!
It’s feeding time for this pod of common dolphin! 🍽️🐟Dolphins will work together as a pod to push their prey towards the surface, giving birds such as Terns (seen here), easier access to prey that typically would dwell deeper in the water column. Because of this predation tactic, dolphins can often be found by searching for groups of birds at sea.
Offshore bottlenose dolphins are a species we see year-round. They can be incredibly curious and playful, seen here bowriding our vessel and making close passes to inspect our thrilled passengers! This pod even had calves in tow; did you know a mother and baby dolphin are called a cow-calf pair? 🐬
Happy Independence Day from all of us at SoCal Whale Watching! We hope everyone has as much fun today celebrating as these common dolphins do bow riding! 🇺🇸 📸 @inthefronds
Whether you’re shooting with your phone or a camera, there’s no better backdrop than the California coast! ☀️ What’s your favorite species to photograph? Drop your answer in the comments!
Common dolphins are one of our favorite species to see on the water! Their energy seems boundless; as you can see by their incredible acrobatic behavior! Scientists have many theories as to why dolphins may breach; perhaps for exercise, communication, to scratch an itch, or just for fun! Common dolphins also enjoy bow riding, where they can be seen cruising in the pressure wake made by our bow, in addition to surfing the wake behind our vessel. #dolphins #whales #whalewatching #visitcalifornia #longbeach #thanksbutnotanks #wildandfree #marinemammals
The Blue Whale activity in Long Beach is the best we’ve seen in a long time! We never know how long it will last but right now it is absolutely incredible!
Thankfully some of the guests were smart enough to be taking video during the breaching Fin Whale encounter earlier in the week! Thank you @lola.rae_xoxo for sharing your clip! #whalewatching #whalebreach
A majestic Fin Whale crossing the bow! This whale was feeding near the surface this morning. #whalewatching #whales #losangeles
After braving dense fog this morning we were rewarded with an encounter with the elusive Fog Dolphin! (Aka Common Dolphins swimming in fog). On the afternoon trip we saw the tiniest baby common dolphin I’ve ever seen! #whalewatching #dolphins #thingstodoinla
An uncommon sight… Common Dolphins inside the harbor! #commondolphin #whalewatching #dolphins
Beautiful morning to spend some time with the always charismatic Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins!
Our RIB Cetacea was hired as a chase boat for the F50 Grand Prix in San Francisco! We’re here for the sailing race but of course we managed to spot a Gray Whale here in the bay… 🐳 Thanks @offthegridofficial for the 🎥
An incredible encounter with a curious Gray Whale near Long Beach today! This individual spent nearly 30 minutes circling the boat, diving underneath and spy hopping just inches away. After rolling on its side to take a long look at the passengers, it apparently decided everyone needed a shower… 🐳 Finally it moved off just enough that I could safely back away. This is not the type of encounter I seek when out looking for whales, but when they decide to approach, it can happen very quickly and become an unforgettable experience. #whalewatching #graywhale #marinewildlife #visitlosangeles #visitlongbeach
Perfect conditions this morning to hang with this pod of beautiful Risso’s Dolphins 😎
It’s been a very good winter for the majestic Fin Whales here in SoCal!
A newborn Gray Whale with mom ❤️ These whales are in the last several days of an epic journey from arctic waters to the warm lagoons of Baja. This mom would have started the trip pregnant and had this baby very recently. The baby will be nursing the rest of the way to Baja as well as the return trip. We wish them well!
The Gray Whale season has been off to a great start in SoCal! Great weather and beautiful whales. These two breached for both trips today! The 9:30 as well as the 12:30 out of Long Beach😎 #whalewatching #visitlosangeles #graywhale
Give the gift of whale watching this holiday season! Gift cards available #whalewatching #christmasgiftideas #socal
We found a pair of beautiful Fin Whales near Palos Verdes today. Perfect conditions and crystal clear water. A great shot by @mattastumpf ! Fin Whales are the second largest of all the whale species and are often called the “greyhounds of the sea.” They can swim nearly 30 mph! #finwhale #marinewildlife #thingstodoinla #whalewatching
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