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Whale Watching Report from Hornblower for January 22–28

Content provided by Hornblower Cruises


Gray whale watching is at its peak with our largest sighting of 23 whales in one morning, along with several mothers with calves, and groups of whales that are spyhopping, breaching and exhibiting courtship behavior. Since the season started, we’ve spotted a total of 282 Gray Whales (including 13 cow-calf pairs), 3 Humpback Whales, 2 Fin Whales, 1 Pygmy Sperm Whale and thousands of dolphins. View our sightings report at https://sandiegowhalewatching.com/.

January 22, 2020

Morning Cruise

Sightings: 12 Gray Whales, 300+ Common Dolphins, 300+ Pacific White-sided Dolphins

Today was spectacular! Heading out we saw whales breaching. We first came upon a Gray Whale rolling about with some Common and Pacific White-sided Dolphins. We then spotted another whale that breached five times! We then spotted a pod of 4 Gray Whales traveling together and then another group of three that were exhibiting mating behavior. More Gray Whales were spotted in the area along with more whales with straighter and taller blows just across the Mexican border.

Afternoon Cruise

Sightings: 7 Gray Whales, 200+ Common Dolphins, 100+ Pacific White-sided Dolphins

This afternoon was beautiful. Passengers from Norway and from all over the country enjoyed watching 7 adult and 2 juvenile Gray Whales. We spotted more spouts in the distance. We also watched pelicans and dolphins feeding on school of fish in the area. We also spotted more spouts from 5 whales in the distance.

January 23, 2020

Morning Cruise

Sightings: 23 Gray Whales, 100+ Common Dolphins, 25 Pacific White-sided Dolphins

WHALE PALOOZA! Guest from Russia, Belgium, Utah, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Florida enjoyed a “Whale of the Morning” We saw 17 south bound adult gray whales, 2 juveniles and 2 moms with their calves on the morning cruise. One highlight of the am cruise was a cow who came up close to the bow of the boat, while it was out of gear and had turned sideways and was cradling the calf in her flipper. We also sighted an estimate of 100 pelicans on the water, along with 25 Pacific White Sided dolphins and 100 Common Dolphins. WHO HOO – A spectacular day for all!

Afternoon Cruise

Sightings: 10 Gray Whales, 100+ Common Dolphins, 25+ Pacific White-sided Dolphins

A wonderful cruise with sightings of 10 Gray Whales. One pair of Gray Whales were spyhopping and rolling around with a lot of dolphins all around, probably showing courtship behavior. We also spotted several spouts in the distance along with Common and Pacific White-sided Dolphins.

January 24, 2020

Morning Cruise

Sightings: 7 Gray Whales, 100+ Common Dolphins

It was a beautiful sunny day on the water. We spotted 3 southbound adult Gray Whales a few miles offshore. Soon after, we spotted 2 more adult Gray Whales. Near the end of the trip we also spotted a cow/calf pair of Grays heading south. There were also lots of Common Dolphins and some pacific white sided dolphins as well.

Afternoon Cruise

Sightings: 2 Gray Whales, 100+ Common Dolphins

A calm day on the water with a slight winter chill and a marine layer further out off shore. We saw plenty of marine activity including the Navy Seals. Once we had sailed into open waters just past Point Loma, we came upon 2 adult Gray Whales migrating south in a zig-zag pattern. Along the way both Common and Pacific White-sided Dolphins kept us entertained along with a group of porpoising sea lions. Another great day on the Adventure Hornblower!

January 25, 2020

Morning Cruise

Sightings: 12 Gray Whales, 100+ Common Dolphins, 50+ Pacific White-sided Dolphins

Another amazing day of Whale watching! We had Gray Whale sightings throughout the morning with 2 solitary whales, 3 pairs of whales and a group of four whales that fluked near the boat. We also spotted more spouts in the distance. We also watched a herd of Common and Pacific White-sided Dolphins in the area. Whale watching doesn’t get better than this!

Afternoon Cruise

Sightings: 7 Gray Whales, 5 Pacific White-sided Dolphins

We enjoyed watching several solitary Gray Whales and then had amazing sightings of a group of 4 adult whales that traveled close together. We also spotted a few Pacific White-sided Dolphins and California Sea Lions out on the ocean.

January 26, 2020

Morning Cruise

Sightings: 13 Gray Whales, 30 Common Dolphins, 30 Pacific White-sided Dolphins

The morning was overcast with one mile of visibility on departure. The skies opened up, and it was a terrific cruise. We spotted thirteen southbound gray whales in total. Some mating behavior among the whales was observed. We also spotted 30 common dolphins and 30 Pacific White-Sided Dolphins.

Afternoon Cruise

Sightings: 5 Gray Whales

During the afternoon cruise, the sun peaked through the clouds illuminating the sea. The waters were very calm. We saw two juvenile Gray Whales swimming side-by-side in the southerly direction. Another three Gray Whales were spotted also swimming south.

January 27, 2020

Morning Cruise

Sightings: 7 Gray Whales, 100+ Common Dolphins, 5 Pacific White-sided Dolphins

A beautiful morning! Guests from across the U.S. enjoyed watching 6 southbound Gray Whales including a cow/calf pair. We also spotted about 100 Common Dolphins with some Pacific White-sided Dolphins in the mix.

Afternoon Cruise

Sightings: 7 Gray Whales

Perfect weather with sunny skies and calm seas. We watched a triad of whales for multiple sightings as they traveled south. We then spotted 2 groups of 2 whales.

January 28, 2020

Morning Cruise

Sightings: 12 Gray Whales

It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day, and about 72 degrees. We had visitors from England, China, Taiwan, Texas, New Jersey, and Georgia. We saw a dozen Gray Whales traveling south in groups of two to four, and we saw many flukes.

Afternoon Cruise

Sightings: n/a

Cruise cancelled.

Whale Watching – January 22-28

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