One of the most unique tours you’ll find in the San Diego area is the whale watching excursion. San Diego is a wonderful place to see these majestic creatures as they pass along the California coast during their annual migrations, so whether you prefer to catch a glimpse of a blue or gray whale, the city’s many whale watching tours will have you covered.
Planning Your Whale Watching Tour
The first thing to keep in mind as you go about planning the whale watching adventure of your dreams is that it is a seasonal activity. Traditionally, there are two times of year when you’ll be able to book a whale watching tour. These two time periods correspond to whale migration patterns, and run from roughly the middle of December to April, and from approximately the middle of June to September. (It’s crucial to remember that these time periods are approximations, and you’ll need to check with your tour provider of choice before making concrete plans.) In the winter and spring months (December to April), that’s when you’re most likely to observe gray whales making their annual 10,000-mile, roundtrip breeding pilgrimage from Alaska to California. During the summer and fall months (June to September), it’s the massive blue whales’ turn to move past the gorgeous San Diego coastline.
Which Whale Watching Experience Is Right for Me?
Because San Diego is such a mecca for whale watching, you’ll have quite a few different whale watching tours to choose from when deciding which excursion is right for you. How best to pick the perfect whale watch for you? Consider the following questions while conducting your research.
*What kind of whale do I hope to see?
–If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of a gray whale, there’s a decent chance you could see one from the shore. You won’t get a fantastic look at them, but they’ll be visible to you from land at amazing vantagepoints like Cabrillo National Monument, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, and Birch Aquarium. However, if you’re team blue whale or bust, you’re best served going out into the ocean on an actual whale watching expedition. That’s because blue whales are ordinarily found much farther out from shore than their gray counterparts.
*How much time do I want to invest in whale watching?
–The most serious whale watches take you a great distance out into the open ocean. This means that such tours often last upwards of 4-5 hours. If that’s no big deal for you in the total scheme of your travel plans, go for it. However, if that time commitment sounds like a lot, consider a shorter harbor cruise, boat tour, or hike along the shoreline. You won’t see blue whales that way, but with patience, careful eyes, and a good set of binoculars, you still might see several of the other remarkable creatures that call the waters of San Diego home.
*What kind of guarantees does the tour company provide?
–Many tour operators will grant participants another tour pass if no whale is spotted during the course of the expedition. If this sort of guarantee is important to you, make sure that the tour operator you’re considering has such a policy in place.
What to Expect on Your Whale Watching Tour
Once you’ve decided which whale watching experience you want to be a part of, you’ll need to read up on just what to expect during your excursion. Here are a few quick pointers to help get you started.
*Even though the stars of the show, so to speak, are the incredible blue whales, don’t lose track of the fact that the waters just off the coast of San Diego are teeming with a tremendous diversity of marine life. No matter which whale watching excursion you go on, you’re liable to see other delightful creatures of the sea such as dolphins, sea lions, humpback whales, finback whales, and more.
*You’ll want to wear (and bring extra) clothing you can layer. If you’re going on a search for blue whales, in particular, you’ll be headed quite a way out into the ocean. There the conditions can be significantly different from the current weather on shore, and it’s often the case that the temperature at sea is much cooler than on land.
*Riding miles and miles out into the ocean in search of whales is no joke—the seas can get quite choppy in a hurry, and there’s a good chance you may experience some sort of motion sickness. Some of this discomfort can be alleviated, though, by taking motion sickness medication in advance of your tour.