With a flurry of exciting whale sightings off Southern California in recent weeks, it comes as no surprise that the season’s first blue whale has also been spotted and, in continuing dramatic fashion, was observed doing “greyhound lunges” off Laguna Beach’s coastline.
The whale – the blue whales is the world’s largest mammal with some growing more than 100 feet long – was spotted on Sunday, April 28, about seven miles out from Laguna Beach’s coastline by Steve Burkhalter and Todd Mansur, both captains for Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching, while they were on a special eight-hour charter on the Ocean Adventure.
The sighting is among the earlier ones in recent years. Last year’s first blue was seen on May 7. In 2022, it was on June 3.
The monthly cruise opportunity takes passengers on an extended trip beyond the traditional routes of charter boats, typically from Dana Point Harbor, with the intent of finding more of the sea life further offshore near feeding grounds around the continental shelf and underwater sea mounds.
“As the current and tides hit (these areas), it pushes nutrients higher in the feeding areas,” Mansur said, leading to more cool sightings.
Mansur said the group had already encountered three fin whales and a pod of common dolphins when Burkhalter reported seeing a blow about two miles away.
“We could see the underwater glow,” Mansur said of the blue whale, explaining that though the whale bodies appear mottled gray, they illuminate bioluminescent underwater. “As we approached it, we saw this glow underneath the water. As soon as the whale broke the surface, it was ‘oh my gosh’ exuberance on the boat.”
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Initially, Mansur said the whale appeared to be resting or chilling after eating. Then, suddenly, it began lunging into the air, jumping like a porpoise and zooming through the water at 14 mph from off Laguna Beach at about Main Beach to the Dana Point Headlands.
The appearance of the blue whale follows several weeks of incredible sightings of fin, minke, humpback and gray whales and their calves. A week ago, a juvenile humpback put on a spectacle off South Laguna when it breached repeatedly, hauling its huge body and telltale large pectoral fins from the water just offshore.
Mansur, a naturalist and boat captain, said the abundance of whales and other sea life in the area is likely due to the animals recognizing the approaching warmer summer expected to be associated with an El Nino and proactively relocating to better conditions and positioning themselves to feed on a potentially massive amount of krill off Southern California.
Blue whales typically consume between 6,000 and 8,000 pounds of krill daily.
The blues don’t follow a regimented migration pattern; instead, they’ll be found where their favorite food is most plentiful at the time.
Experts estimate there are about 2,000 blues that live from Baja up to the Gulf of Alaska.