A gray morning greeted passengers on board the Ocean Odyssey. Everyone enjoyed seeing the many birds and sea lions at the bait docks as we departed San Diego Bay. It wasn't long before several common dolphins were spotted with moms and calves leaping in unison. After much searching, a spout and the back of a blue whale appeared in the distance. Even closer to the vessel, a humpback whale’s long pectoral flippers slapped the water. We watched two humpback whales for some time, often showing their flukes, and then one decided to breach out of the water quite close to the vessel. To our surprise, on closer inspection we had been observing three humpback whales—one of them, a calf. Although we had no close views of a blue whale today, the humpback whales and common dolphins were a treat for the passengers.

Submitted by Whaler Diane