We continue to see a large number of Gray Whales including some incredible mother-calf interactions. We’ve also enjoyed many sightings with whales all around the Adventure Hornblower. To date, we’ve spotted 315 Grays during the current season. See our updated Sightings Reports at https://sandiegowhalewatching.com/
January 23, 2019
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 3 Gray Whales, 50+ Common Dolphins
A gorgeous sunny, calm day on the water. We spotted 3 Gray Whales that were headed south including one that fluked along with about 50 Common Dolphins.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 6 Gray Whales, 150+ Common Dolphins
A beautiful sunny day with a slight cool breeze made for a fabulous outing where we first sighted a northbound Gray Whale that was a bit elusive. Next, Captain Eric decided to change directions and headed south. We spotted several spouts in the distance and as we near the vicinity we found a southbound Gray whale. The whale’s behavior was unusual as it spent such a short time at the surface. We headed south as we saw 5 more spouts with a possible cow and calve combo. We did observe another Gray and, within a short distance, yet another Gray Whale that came up very close to bow of ship. Guests aboard could even hear its spout and see its tail flukes clearly under the water. Whale spouts seemed to be everywhere! We also encountered 150 Common Dolphins that were attracted to the Adventure Hornblower. What a great day whale watching!
January 24, 2019
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 5 Gray Whales, 5 Pacific White-sided Dolphins, 200+ Common Dolphins
A beautiful day to be out searching for whales on the Adventure Hornblower. We spotted 5 southbound Gray Whales along with some Pacific White-sided Dolphins and a big herd of Common Dolphins. Visitors joined us from London, Mexico, Ireland, Pittsburgh and Boise, Idaho.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 7 Gray Whales, 50+ Common Dolphins
A few clouds rolled in that produced some pleasant light winds for our afternoon cruise. Captain Mike took us out into what some of us call “whale soup”. We enjoyed great views of 7 southbound Gray Whales including a “Kodak moment” of a tail fluke in front of Los Coronados. A group of Common Dolphins completed our excellent afternoon trip.
January 25, 2019
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 4 Gray Whales, 10 Common Dolphins, 5 Bottlenose Dolphins
We had exceptional weather and conditions – warm, sunny, not too much wind, small swell, and great visibility. We saw 10 common dolphins early on and enjoyed watching them swim with us. We saw 5 Gray Whales, including some breaching! Towards the end we saw Bottlenose Dolphins as well. Magnificent day at sea!
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 5 Gray Whales, 3 Common Dolphins
The afternoon still had exceptional conditions and visibility! We saw 4 Gray Whales with lots of fluking. We also saw 3 Common Dolphins. It was such a pleasure to spend the afternoon with such an enthusiastic, curious, friendly crowd, with guests from the Netherlands, England, and several US states.
January 26, 2019
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 7 Gray Whales, 5 Pacific White-sided Dolphins, 25 Common Dolphins
A gorgeous calm, sunny day. We headed west then south out of the bay and spotted our first Gray Whales near the border. We had close looks at one whale that was swimming slowly and fluked several times. This whale had a prominent scar on its dorsal that was filled with yellow-orange whale lice. While watching this whale, two more popped up close by on the other side of the boat. After watching these whales for a while, it was time to head back. On the way, we encountered a trio of Gray Whales that were exhibiting courtship behavior-swimming in a zig-zag manner and rolling on their sides. One even tossed its flukes high in the air.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 6 Gray Whales
A sunny and slightly breezy afternoon. We spotted another 6 Gray Whales during the afternoon.
January 27, 2019
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 11 Gray Whales
Beautiful skies and calm waters made for a beautiful day. We spotted a juvenile Gray Whale as soon as we entered the ocean and four separate pods for a total of 11 Gray Whales for the morning cruise.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 2 Gray Whales, 2000+ Common Dolphins
Another warm sunny day with calm waters. Passengers were very excited over the spectacular jumps and acrobatics of a large herd of Common Dolphins! Two Gray Whales were spotted this afternoon. The first in the harbor and the second off Point Loma. The second Gray Whale approached the yacht multiple times!
January 28, 2019
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 11 Gray Whales
Another fantastic day with 11 Gray Whales spotted in different groupings this morning.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 6 Gray Whales, 150+ Common Dolphins
Unbelievable day out whaling in our beautiful Pacific Ocean! Our day started with a cool breeze plus a few high clouds as the Adventure Hornblower made its way out of the San Diego with smooth sailing. Captain Mike steered our ship southward when we came upon two very large adult Gray Whales. Guests aboard could see the whales very distinct heart shaped blows and we stayed with the pair for a while. Both whales showed their unique 12 foot tails which was definitely a “WhoHoo!” moment for guests. We then turned westward & found 4 more whales on all sides of the boat. As we whalers like to call this, “whale soup,” for the abundance of whales in the area. We saw a cow- calf pair, plus 2 more Gray Whales that showed us awesome tail flukes. We also saw more spouts in the distance. As Captain Mike headed back to the entrance of the bay we saw another pair of adult whales that demonstrated a zigzag behavior along with a pod of 150 Common Dolphins. One last surprise was a small raft of 5 to 8 sea lions. What an absolute STELLAR Day aboard the Hornblower!
January 29, 2019
Morning Cruise
Sightings: 1 Gray Whale
A foggy morning made a finding whales a challenge. Captain Mike did spot a Gray Whale that eluded us in the fog.
Afternoon Cruise
Sightings: 3 Gray Whales, 500+ Common Dolphins
The fog lifted and we enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon. We first spotted a solitary Gray Whale, then were able to watch a mother-calf pair. Our afternoon was capped off by a school of more than 500 Common Dolphins.
Whale Watching Report from Hornblower
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