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Morro Bay
 Go whale watching in Morro Bay
One of life’s great adventures is to be sailing out on the ocean and have an encounter with the largest
creature on earth. Visitors to Morro Bay, Tammy and Phil from the Cen- tral Valley, elected to go on a whale watching trip. The boat left Morro Bay harbor in the morning and they enjoyed sunny skies and calm seas. They were greeted by dolphins who flashed through the water off the bow. “We were excited to at least
see one whale,” Tammy said. The Captain cut the motor. It got quiet. Suddenly it happened. The silence was broken by a huge sigh and a fountain of spray as an enormous whale broke the surface not 20 away. It was a blue whale.
Sightings of blue whales are increasing although they are still the most elusive of the whale species. Blue whales can grow to 100 feet and weigh about 150 tons. Even calves are large measuring up to 25 feet at birth. A blue whale’s heart is about the size of a small Volkswagen. They
are the largest animal known to man on earth, past or present. These are baleen whales, have no teeth, and feed on huge amounts of krill. They are most seen around the Farallon Islands off the San Francisco coast but there are sightings of them as they travel through local waters.
Patriot Sportfishing operates out of Morro Bay Landing offering a great whale watching experience all year long. The captain and crew are skilled at tracking down sea life including gray whales, blue whales, humpback whales, finback whales, Orcas, dolphins, sea lions, sea otters and a variety of seabirds. On a two- hour excursion people are usually bound to see at least one whale although there is never a guarantee.
Sub Sea Tours located near Marina Square offers whale watch- ing with two vessels, The Dos
Osos catamaran and their newest boat the Freedom. “The benefit of the Dos Osos is that it is an open boat so people can see all around,” explained Captain and owner, Kevin Winfield.
Whales can
be seen all year
but there are also
distinct seasons.
Twice a year gray
whales travel up
and down the
west coast. Their
migration route is
from their sum-
mer feeding grounds in the Arctic to winter breeding lagoons in Baja, California. They’ve been doing this for thousands of years. Scientists have not yet figured out how new generations learn the way nor how they navigate the route without error. Gray whales are baleen whales and reach up to 50 feet and weigh about 40 tons. Females are larger
than males. They have an average lifespan of 40 years. They are slate gray in color and are mottled with white pigmentation and barnacle scars.
Winfield said he runs daily whale watching trips during the summer months with winter trips varying due to weather. Gray whale south- ward migration begins in October and lasts through February. They return going north from February through July with females and new- born and the young are often prey of killer whales. Some trips have folks able to reach out over the boat and scratch the hide of a gray whale as they appear to be either friendly or curious.
Virg’s Sportfishing also operates whale watching and nature tours out of Morro Bay beginning in January and continuing through April. Gray whales and humpbacks are the delights of these trips.
Humpback whales are distinctive due to their long, narrow, scalloped flippers which they use to slap the water. They grow to 50 feet in length and have a thick body. There is a small dorsal fin well back on the body. As they progress through the water the top part of their body becomes visible and appears in
a hump-like shape. Probably the whale that causes the most excite- ment for tour goers, the humpback likes to project itself up from the water with one-third of their body
visible. This tactic is called spyhop- ping and no one knows for sure why they do it. Humpbacks also leap up and fully throw themselves out of the water and come splash- ing down. Called
breaching, it is one of the best spectacles in nature. “This is why we come here to go whale watching,” a visiting tourist exclaimed, “where else can you see so much wildlife?”
Whale watching tours also go out of Avila Beach with trips by Avila Beach Whale Watching, SLO Tours, and Whale’s Tail Sailing Charter.
-Ruth Ann Angus
   A central coast favorite in Morro Bay
   BAYSIDE CAFE
  Scan this QR code to see our menu online
at the marina
  (805) 772-1465
 Open for lunch daily, Dinner Thu - Sun
  Across the road from State Park campground entrance on State Park Rd
BaysideCafe.com
   46 SPRING 2020
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