My First Fin Whale Encounter! – 7/6/19

Anytime I’m back home in California, I’ll try to go whale watching if I have time. I planned on going out with Harbor Breeze cruises with my aunt and grandma because it was a large boat that made it easier for her to come on a trip with us. They had reported seeing Blue Whales on all their trips, so I was pretty excited. We first encountered a small pod of Common Dolphins on our way out.

Soon after, the whale spouted about 50 feet away from the boat. At first I thought it was a Blue Whale since the pointed dorsal fin and larger size was not really associated with Humpback Whales. It wasn’t until the naturalist aboard pointed out the darker color that I realized we were watching a Fin Whale.

I was super excited because I had never seen a Fin Whale before (not that I wouldn’t have been excited for a Blue Whale as well). The whale was spouting close enough to the boat that you could see the counter shading of the jaw region of the whale.

It was an amazing first Fin Whale encounter that I was glad my family could also enjoy.

On our way back, we encountered more Common Dolphins. This pod had some calves in the mix and was likely a nursery pod.

-Patrick


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