Content provided by Hornblower Cruises
We are still enjoying amazing sightings of Gray Whales during our cruises, mostly migrating north and including our first northbound mother- calf pair. We’ve also spotted two Humpback Whales feeding along with a large herd of Common Dolphins. Since the season started, we’ve spotted a total of 623 Gray Whales (including 24 cow-calf pairs), 7 Humpback Whales, 2 Fin Whales, 1 Minke Whale (our first of the season), 1 Pygmy Sperm Whale and thousands of dolphins. View our sightings report at https://sandiegowhalewatching.com/.
February 26, 2020
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 5 Gray Whales, 50+ Common Dolphins
We spotted the spouts and flukes of 5 Gray Whales near the Mexican Border along with a herd of Common Dolphins.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 2 Gray Whales, 2000+ Common Dolphins
We found 2 Gray Whales that were swimming close to the surface and provided great views for all to see. A large herd of Common Dolphins swam all around the boat to the delight of the guests.
February 27, 2020
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 4 Gray Whales, 30 Common Dolphins, 10 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
What a perfect morning to be out on the ocean! We headed north along the shore and found 2 southbound Gray Whales. The whales fluked and interacted with both Common Dolphins and Pacific White-sided Dolphins. on our way back to the bay, we encountered a Gray Whale mother-calf pair that were heading north.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 1 Gray Whale, 10 Common Dolphins
The wind and waves increased for this cruise. We spotted a juvenile Gray Whale right after leaving the bay. We also saw a raft of California sea lions. A little later we spotted the spout of a baleen whale but were not able to get a close enough to tell what species.
February 28, 2020
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 4 Gray Whales, 500+ Common Dolphins, 10 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
It was a beautiful San Diego day. The ocean calm and smooth. Several pods of long beaked Common Dolphins, up to 500 and a smaller pod of Pacific White-side. Our cruise also included a harbor seal. We saw one northbound juvenile gray and 3 southbound adults.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 1 Gray Whale, 500+ Common Dolphins, 25 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
The Adventure Hornblower exited the San Diego Bay under slightly cloudy and windy conditions as we headed southward out to locate the Pacific Eastern Gray Whales. We first came across a small pod of 25 Pacific White-sided Dolphins that were excited to bow ride and guests aboard were delighted. Captain Rick decided to head out westward to the 8-mile area where another whaling company thought that they had sighted a couple of grays. We spent some time trying to locate the whales, but the Grays eluded us as our time seem to be winding down. As we headed back, we came in contact with 500+ Long-beaked Common Dolphins that included several calves in what is called a nursery pod. As we were observing whale naturalists aboard spotted a spout near the opening of the bay and the Adventure Hornblower headed over to observe a single adult Gray whale that was southbound heading towards Baja California, Mexico. We observed several flukes, a zig-zag behavior and spouts, however, our time was very limited, and guests aboard were very happy to have observed a Gray Whale.
February 29, 2020
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 1 Gray Whale, 100+ Common Dolphins, 5 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
Even before leaving the dock, passengers spotted 8 small stingrays. During the cruise, we had very close looks at a juvenile Gray Whale that swam very close to the surface. We also spotted Common Dolphins and Pacific White-sided Dolphins during this beautiful day.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 4 Gray Whales, 100+ Common Dolphins
Today was an amazing day to be on the water. We spotted 3 Gray Whales traveling north. We also encountered a pod of Common Dolphins that included many calves. As we headed back to the bay, we had a close look at another Gray Whale just off of Point Loma.
March 1, 2020
Morning Cruise
Sightings: no sightings
Rough seas made it difficult to spot whales this morning.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: n/a
Afternoon Cruise cancelled due to high sea swells.
March 2, 2020
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 2 Gray Whales, 25 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
The Adventure Hornblower Cruised out of the bay under sunny skies and a slight breeze. As we traveled south, we spotted a couple spouts, but the whale eluded us. We decided to head north and came across a pod of about 25 Pacific White-sided Dolphins. As we continued our journey, we spotted a couple more spouts and discovered a pair of Eastern Pacific Gray Whales swimming north. Much to everyone’s joy, one of the whales breached 8 times! All onboard cheered the whale on! Just a fantastic day on our beautiful Pacific Ocean!
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 2 Humpback Whales, 1000+ Common Dolphins
A breezy, cool afternoon. After a while of searching, we finally came across two Humpback Whales, which were surrounded by a large herd of Common Dolphins. The whales were exhibiting feeding behaviors. Overall, an exciting afternoon.
March 3, 2020
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 3 Gray Whales, 30 Common Dolphins
A sunny day with choppy seas. As we exited the bay, we spotted a blow, but it disappeared. We then encountered a few small groups of Common Dolphins. We then spotted 1 adult Gray Whale and 2 juveniles. We also spotted a brown booby seabird.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 3 Gray Whales, 300+ Common Dolphins, 3 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
A beautiful afternoon with slightly calmer seas. We spotted 2 adult Gray Whales and one juvenile Gray Whale. One whale fluked nicely. We also spotted Common Dolphins along with a few Pacific White-sided Dolphins mixed in.
Partner Content – Hornblower
