The "Luck of the Irish" was with passengers on the March 17 Nature Cruise. Passengers spotted 12 gray whales, including a young whale that breached six times! On the way to Los Coronados Islands a small pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins swam by the vessel; soon a megapod of hundreds, if not thousands, of common dolphins were observed jumping, tail slapping, and generally having a great time, as were the passengers. A few elephant seals remain at Sunset Cove, and many harbor seals and their young were spotted. One brown booby chick was spotted in a nest with its parents, and a few pelican chicks were seen in the many nests on Dead Man's Island. Entering San Diego Harbor, we were briefly escorted by a few bottlenose dolphins, ending a day with terrific sightings of marine mammals and birds. One couple exclaimed to Museum Whaler, Diane Cullins,"This was the trip of a lifetime!"

Submitted by Whaler Diane