Whale Watching

"Devolved" is a wan spoof of TV's "Lost" and "Survivor" as seen through the prism of high school dynamics. Writer-director John Cregan covers the basics of character, situation and theme here but never finds his comic footing, resulting in a debut feature that's more tired than inspired. After a whale-watching expedition goes bad, a group of San Diego high school seniors becomes shipwrecked on a desert island off the coast of Mexico, where the popular kids face off against the "unpopulars" in a battle for supremacy.

Call it the shoulder season for whale watching. At this time of year, gray whales vanish from the California coast and start arriving in Alaska, and humpback and blue whales begin moving into Monterey Bay, making it prime spot for spotting the giants. The deal: Casa Munras Hotel & Spa is a historic hotel in Old Town Monterey whose "Whale of a Good Time" package for two starts at $183 a night (not including tax) and includes a room with one queen-size bed, free Wi-Fi access and use of a heated swimming pool and fitness area and two adult tickets for a whale-watching tour.

California State Park Rangers lead 2 1/2 -hour boat trips into the Pacific on a search for gray whales at Malibu Pier Whale Watching Excursions . The noble creatures are in the midst of their annual trip between Mexico and the northern Arctic seas. You could also catch a glimpse of dolphins, sea lions, pelicans and other marine life. Malibu Pier, 23000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun. $30-$45. (310) 456-8031. www.malibupier.com.

It's a bizarre yet wondrous sight: a 40-foot humpback whale holding position only a few feet beside a 75-foot catamaran. The whale's radiant white pectoral fins are spread like wings. Its massive body rolls gently as this great leviathan casts a curious glance toward its gawking admirers. It's one of two "friendlies" providing passengers aboard the Condor Express with encounters so close they can hardly believe their eyes. "I would do this every day, in a heartbeat, if I could afford it," says Ginny Harris, a tourist from Morehead City, N.C. "I live on the East Coast and we have dolphins, but I have never seen whales -- and certainly nothing like this."

'Blow!" came the long-awaited cry, from someone aboard the Monte Carlo, and suddenly scores of people who for hours had appeared comatose were up and alert. It was 3:44 p.m. The vessel had left its San Pedro dock at 8:15 a.m. on a daylong search timed to coincide with the peak period of the northbound Pacific gray whale migration. Capt.

The first dolphins arrive like pointy-nosed escorts sent to guide the Monte Carlo to some enchanted mammalian universe. They ride bow waves and leap high on both sides of the 75-foot vessel, seemingly trying to better glimpse the people, who are crammed at the foredeck trying to get a better glimpse. As one wave falls back, others emerge from a pod perhaps 3,000 strong, in an acrobatic display that lasts nearly an hour.

The Coast Guard searched Monday for a sunken whale-watching catamaran whose mast broke off near Maui, killing one man and requiring the rescue of at least 50 tourists. The crew from the 55-foot tour boat reported on the vessel's radio Sunday evening that the mast had snapped about two miles off Kahana Beach near Kaanapali. Witnesses said the boat was sinking and many passengers were already in the water when more boats arrived.

On a chilly Sunday morning, with a fierce northwesterly wind raking broad white streaks across the ocean, the only clear sign of animal life is in the sky. Two peregrine falcons beat their way headlong into the wind, briefly, before veering to their right and riding it swiftly out of sight. A red-tail hawk emerges from beneath the cliff like a harrier jet, and holds position for a moment before also turning and dashing away.

A whale-watching tour boat carrying dozens of schoolchildren collided with a humpback whale calf off Maui, injuring the animal but no passengers, officials said in Maalaea. The rudder of the 65-foot boat was damaged but the craft returned to port safely, officials said. It is owned by the Pacific Whale Foundation, an agency dedicated to protecting whales.

Thar she blows! Finally. Whale-watching season officially began, as it always does, on the day after Christmas. But many of the leviathans chose to spend the holiday season at home, in and around the Bering Sea, feasting on amphipods. Ice was slow to form over the region, delaying the 6,000-mile migration to Baja California, but the journey is underway and sightings locally are picking up. And not surprisingly, given the late start, some of the mother whales are traveling with calves.