Out to the Blues

So after nine solid days of non-stop IWC Scientific Committee meetings (from which I am not allowed to report), we are finally given a break and emerge blinking into the daylight.

Some of us scamper off to go whale watching, because, after all, we are in San Diego which is famous for its access to grey whales and blues and, despite having talked and written about them, I have seen neither species. We are past the season for the greys on this coastline (although a friend recently reported one off Los Angeles) but the blues have been seen in the last few days.

So, we head out to sea.

We pass the bait fish pens where the fishermen come to collect bait for their trips and where the sealions and cormorants hang out. A little further out we meet a small group of bottlenose dolphins, then a much larger school (maybe 200) of common dolphins.

Finally, someone sees a mighty blow and then a great tail as the world's largest animal starts to dive. We are about eight miles out and after the first whale is spotted, two more are seen. All dive out of sight and the naturalist on board (who has been providing some commentary) announces that the prey ball is just below the surface, The whales are feeding.

It is difficult to get a sense of size when they return some minutes later to the surface to breath. But that is partly because you only see a portion of their backs at one time and you need to carefully watch the diver-sequence. They make a long slow 'forward roll' as they swim - an incredible long section of curved back eventually leads to a small dorsal fin and then they may 'fluke-up' and show their tail fins.

Sealions at the bait pens - a snowy egret in the foreground

bottlenose dolphins

a common dolphin leaps

Here's the blue whale - and is that whale-watching boat too close?

The small dorsal fin has appeared on the left. The whale is perhaps 80 feet long.

Back to shore for another snowy egret