Whale Watching

The best time to go whale-watching in Egypt would have been about 37 million years ago. Smithsonian magazine recently profiled the amazing whale boneyard at Wadi Hitan where fossils reveal an important evolutionary tidbit: the whales had little legs and feet. In California, it's whale-watching season right now -- for Pacific gray whales, without feet. It's also a time when Mendocino and nearby towns host festivals to mark the whales' northbound journey from Mexico to Alaska.

They say something in our salty blood draws us to the sea. As such, Ventura will always be one of our easiest, breeziest, saltiest options. You know you've left L.A. proper when the boot shops start popping up along the 101. You know you've arrived in Ventura when the wind begins to whip and the gulls begin to circle. The tab: $289 for two nights right on the beach, $120 for meals and $98 for three tickets to the whale-watching experience of a lifetime. The bed We set up at the Inn on the Beach (1175 S. Seaward Ave.; [805]

Starting in December, the Pacific gray whale will begin its annual migration from Alaska to the warm waters off the coast of Mexico, and registration for whale-watching excursions is underway. Island Packers, the authorized concessionaire for Channel Islands National Park, is offering more than 20 types of trips this season, from half-day to full-day whale watching, hiking, kayak and camping activities.

New Year's Eve was a banner day for partiers--and for gray whales. Twenty-one of them were spotted off Southern California as they headed south to the warm waters of Mexico , the best sightings since the season began Dec. 1. This means it's a good time to snag a discounted whale-watching ticket and go see them for yourself. The deal: AmazonLocal Long Beach is offering vouchers that take at least half off the price of whale-watching tours. The sale price costs $18 a person (usually $39)

A plume of mist appears amid the whitecaps, on a day the wind rages over the Pacific, keeping the boats at bay and providing unfettered passage for whales. Joan Venette, bundled and sitting in a chair atop the Palos Verdes Peninsula, is the first to make the sighting. "Whale at 217 degrees and 50 mils," she announces, peering through binoculars trained about half a mile offshore.

San Diego and beyond Through March: It's whale-watching season along the Southern California coast. Cabrillo National Monument on San Diego's Point Loma Peninsula offers a glass-enclosed observatory for spotting whales. It also hosts the Whale Watch Weekend and Intertidal Life Festival, Jan. 28-29, with exhibits, films and ranger-assisted whale spotting (www.nps.gov/cabr; click on Special Events).

A 3-year-old boy was fatally injured during a whale-watching trip after the captain tried to maneuver the boat around a humpback whale and the child fell against a railing, suffering injuries to his head and neck. He died at a hospital after being flown to shore by helicopter. There does not appear to have been any wrongdoing by the captain during Thursday's excursion, Coast Guard officials and the tour boat's operator, Dream Cruises Hawaii, said.

Coast Guard helicopter pilots scanning the waters of Stellwagen Bank for oil spills have taken on a new duty: whale watching. The Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are teaming up to protect marine mammals in the wildlife-rich waters of the bank, a national marine sanctuary off the Massachusetts coast.

Blue whales made a splash this week when a few of the world's largest creatures appeared off the Orange County coast. More than likely, they were making their way to the Santa Barbara Channel -- where the real party is. Dozens of blue and humpback whales have taken up temporary residence around the Channel Islands, as they do every summer, to feed on an abundance of shrimp-like krill. "It is better than it's ever been," says Capt.

Sea & Adventures is offering trips to Baja, Mexico, geared to families, featuring three- and five-day whale-watching and sea-kayaking adventures from Feb. 18 to 22 in Magdalena Bay. Guests will meet in Loreto and will be taken to a base camp nestled in the sand dunes of Magdalena Bay. Whale watching by skiff allows close-up encounters with Pacific gray whales. Cost: $350 to $595 per person, double occupancy, including lodging in tents, meals and ground transportation.

Truth Aquatics' one-day adventure to Santa Cruz Island is a great day on the water, with whale watching, a visit to Santa Cruz's Painted Cave, snorkeling, kayaking and just plain relaxing. $90 per person includes breakfast and barbecue lunch; $50 for kids ages 5 to 12. Multiday hiking trips to the island also are available. Truth Aquatics, Santa Barbara; (805) 962-1127, http://www.truthaquatics.com Doris Schaffer Santa Barbara

Travelers may think of Hawaii as the land of surfboards, sunsets and mai tais, but there's a lava flow of reasons to go beyond the beaches and discover why residents say they are lucky to live in Hawaii. And, yes, some of the state's best beaches are found on the Big Island. But don't get stuck there. Do what the locals do: Swim with the honu. There are five snorkeling areas along the Big Island's Kohala Coast: Puako Bay, Waialea Beach (Beach 69), Hapuna Beach, Mauna Kea and Mauume.

The best time to go whale-watching in Egypt would have been about 37 million years ago. Smithsonian magazine recently profiled the amazing whale boneyard at Wadi Hitan where fossils reveal an important evolutionary tidbit: the whales had little legs and feet. In California, it's whale-watching season right now -- for Pacific gray whales, without feet. It's also a time when Mendocino and nearby towns host festivals to mark the whales' northbound journey from Mexico to Alaska.

Tour boats were buzzing with activity Thursday as sightseers spotted dozens of killer whales cruising the Southern California coast. Whale-watching vessels reported seeing 20 to 40 of the marine mammals, also known as orcas, swimming up the coast from Dana Point to Long Beach. It's not uncommon for killer whales to roam Southern California waters in search of sea lions and other prey, according to the experts who track and identify them. Seeing them in such numbers, however, is unusual.

A well-known marine biologist and whale-watching tour operator has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly feeding killer whales in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, in violation of federal wildlife provisions. Nancy Black, owner and operator of Monterey Bay Whale Watch, was indicted in San Jose federal court Wednesday and charged with violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which bars harming, harassing, feeding and otherwise interfering with marine mammals, including dolphins, sea lions and whales.

Gray whales have been turning up early and in record numbers as they migrate south along the Southern California coast heading to Baja, so don't let this be the season you miss the boat. Tony Barboza reports in this L.A. Times story : "Whale spotters stationed at Point Vicente in Rancho Palos Verdes have logged a record 163 sightings so far [in] December, more than they have seen at this point in 28 years. " Check out these whale-watching places to see the migration firsthand: Point Vicente Interpretive Center , 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes; (310)

Rescue teams searched waters near Cape May Point for the body of a Boy Scout who fell off a whale-watching boat. Rough conditions hampered the search by police and the Coast Guard, but investigators found a piece of clothing on the propeller that might belong to the boy. Nicholas Johs, 14, of Staten Island, N.Y., fell after he and several other troop members were jumping up and down in the front of the boat in time with the waves, witnesses told police.

"I can't find a darned thing out here," a disconsolate voice squawks over the radio of a whale-watching boat. Others in the little flotilla of nautical sightseers pipe up with a contemporary version of "Thar she blows!" They have spotted fin whales, dolphins, and share their findings. They exchange longitudes of their sightings. Soon the complainer's voice returns, sounding happier. "We're rotten with whales now." At sea, there's cooperation.

Gray whales cruise through Southern California waters every winter, but this month the migratory giants have shown up so early and in such numbers that they are astounding many longtime observers. Whale spotters stationed at Point Vicente in Rancho Palos Verdes have logged a record 163 sightings so far this December, more than they have seen at this point in 28 years. Although the gray whale-watching season doesn't typically start until the end of December, the unprecedented number of early arrivals is delighting tourists, boaters and divers as the animals travel south along the coast to Mexico.

Spend enough time on a boat in Southern California and you'll see your fill of sea lions, dolphins and even the occasional whale. But a group of whale watchers this week were treated to a less common sight, crossing paths with a sea otter off the coast of Laguna Beach. The Dana Pride was on a whale-watching excursion Monday afternoon when the crew spotted one of the furry marine mammals lingering just outside some kelp a quarter-mile offshore. "His head came up and they said, 'Wow, that's a sea otter' and it just came up and watched our boat," said Donna Kalez, general manager of Dana Wharf Sportfishing.