We experienced a rare encounter today. An adult Gray whale was seen acting differently only to find out she was about to deliver her newborn calf off the coast of Dana Point, California. As we return to Baby & mama they swam up to the boat just like they do in Baja during mating & delivery season. They stayed close for our entire excursion. It was an amazing day!
AMAZING! Look who swam right up to us. Engines were off! An adorable newborn calf throwing it’s fluke within an hour after being born. I was crying happy tears when we realized a newborn Gray whale was born while we were returning from whale watching off the Dana Point headlands aboard the Dana Wharf Ocean Adventure with Captain Chase this afternoon.
This mama was behaving differently than most southbound Gray whales as they make their way to the warmer waters in Mexico to mate & give birth. This mama was seen going south, turning north then going in circles. We never imagined she was about to deliver her calf!
Newborn calves are approximately 14 to 16 feet long and weigh about 2,000 pounds. These whales migrate south each fall to mate and give birth in lagoons on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. They do this every year of their long lives. Gray whales will be on their migration north in spring to feast and grow fat in the rich feeding waters of the Arctic.
Videos taken with iPhone