Whale Tale, and a Freebie for Mother's Day

Do something different for mom this Mothers Day. How about whale watching? Mention my writing enterprise, Philip Friedman Outdoors, at Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach, and mom goes for free with a paid fare.

 What's the latest on whale watching off our coast? It has been varied lately. There have been late northbound gray whales, occasional humpback sightings, and a few blue whales. On the days when no whales have been seen, there has still been lots of dolphins and sea lions to observe.

Recently, blue whales have been observed lunge feeding near the Huntington oil rigs. The whale opens its mouth, water floods in until the leviathan pushes water out the sides of its mouth. The water must stream through a set of thin plates known as baleen. Krill and other animals get stuck there and are easily consumed by the whale.

Out whale watching Wednesday,  Steven Quang was on the Christopher (Harbor Breeze Cruises) when he saw something completely unexpected. In fact, it almost never happens.

“We were looking for sea life when we spotted a splash and thought it was a sunfish," said Quang. "When we got closer we realized they were seabass (white seabass). It was so cool how close the boat got to them. They were so close to the surface, the tail would be above the water sometimes.” 

White seabass are a species that are normally found along the coast or at the islands--but not out in the middle of the sea. They are known to travel from place to place but are rarely observed doing so on the surface.

It is always an adventure on the water.....To take mom on a free whale watching trip on Mothers Day, visit www.2seewhales.com or call 562 432 4900.