This was the best Blue Whale encounter of my entire life aboard Gone Whale Watching yesterday!
For most people, a chance encounter with a Blue Whale is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This endangered species came right up to the brink of extinction thanks to commercial whaling by humans last century. The population that summers off of California has rebounded in recent years, and that has allowed someone like myself to be very fortunate in regards to how much time I’ve gotten to spend with this iconic species. San Diego in particular has been the best place to see Blue Whales in the summer with regularity since 2017, and in all of my time with these giants, I’ve never quite had an encounter like this!
As the encounter began, this mom and calf pair repeatedly swam very slowly under our boat (which the motors were disengaged). Typically when a Blue swims under you, they do so 30-50ft down, and that’s what this pair was doing initially. Often we’ve had blue whale calves that eventually want to show more curiosity and interact with the boat, but in this case the calf stayed close to mom. Then something extraordinary happened:
The mom began guiding the calf towards the boat! She would roll on her side and sort it “hook” the baby with her pectoral fin, guiding it right to us! I was mesmerized. The glassy blue water made the scene so surreal I couldn’t believe it was happening. They did this 4 or 5 times before I finally snapped out of my trance and put the drone in the air. The view from above was better than I could have ever imagined. Without a doubt, this was the best Blue Whale encounter of my life!
Come whale watching with me and be on that boat!
www.gonewhalewatching.com
5 сен 2022
