Questions about Whale Watching in San Diego
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do you really see whales? The answer is yes, San Diego is one of the top gray whale watching destinations in the world. What else do you see? Though it is our goal is to the see California gray whales adults and calves, we have also seen less frequently, finback whales, blue whales, humpback whales, minke, killer, and false killer whales. Additionally, we see pods of hundreds of dolphins including: Risso's, Bottle nosed, common, and Pacific white sided. Our captains and the San Diego natural History trained "whalers" highlight all marine life we see such as sea lions, various fish, and a variety of coastal birds. What sets you apart from other whale watching boats? *Hornblower has the only 3.5 hour whale watching cruise departing twice daily. We start whale watching early in the season mid Dec. *Our partnership with the San Diego Natural History Museum to begin with. With our program, the museum has trained hundreds of volunteer naturalists who ride on the cruises and assist our expert captains with narration and answer guests questions and point out facts about some of the specimens we carry on board from our whale exhibit. The specimens include a whale rib, baleen and fossils and more. *We also play the video favorite from the museum called Oceans Oasis. How much experience does Hornblower have in whale watching? This is our 16th consecutive year offering whale watch cruises. In fact, Captain Rich has 26 years of whale watching experience and Captain Erik has 23 years ! Even our first officers and on board bartenders and stewards have been doing this for years! The 70 Whalers or Naturalists, trained at the San Diego Natural History Museum have a variety of degrees and experience to share with our guests. Which cruise is better, the morning or the afternoon? Your chances of seeing whales are the same on the morning or afternoon cruise. However, the afternoon cruise almost always has more passengers aboard. If you want to cruise with less people, choose the morning trip. What day of the week is better? Weekends are always busier than weekdays. There are also less whale watching boats in the ocean on weekdays. How far will we cruise into the ocean? In the beginning of the season, the southbound whales swim closer to the coast, so the maximum distance we cruise is about 3-5 miles. Toward the end of the season, when the northbound whales swim further out, we can cruise up to 9-12 miles off the coast. Should I make reservations? Reservations are highly recommended but not required. There is the chance we will sell out on busy days or weekends. For your convenience, guests can reserve by calling 619-687-8715 or online at www.hornblower.com. How should I dress? We suggest dressing in layers as the temperature/winds are often unpredictable. Our gift shop on board sells fleece jackets and blankets. Where should I park? The 5 Star parking lot at Broadway & Pacific Highway. The cost is now $10 all day (for 1-10 hours, $12 overnight) during the week, $5 after 5pm, and $5 all day on Sat/Sun/holidays. What time should I be there? Allow enough time for traffic and to find parking. The morning cruise boards at 9:00am and the afternoon cruise boards at 1:15pm. Seating is on a first come, first served basis. If you prefer a specific seating area, be early so you can be the first in line. Can I bring food or drink on board? No. However, for your convenience, we have a fully stocked snack bar and full beverage bar available on board. Food items include (subject to change): sandwiches, salads, fruit bowls, crackers & cheese, pizza, hot dogs, corn dogs, churros, pastries, chips and candy. We also feature a full bar with hot and cold beverages. What makes your boat better than other whale watching boats or sport fishing boats? *Adventure is 3 stories high with the top deck sitting 25 feet off of the water. You can spot a spout from a mile away. *Adventure has 3,000 square feet of outdoor space and climate controlled inside seating for your comfort. *Adventure is a fast boat equipped with bilge keel stabilizers making your trip more comfortable. *Hornblower exclusively has an interactive whale museum featuring whale artifacts, fossils and information. *Enjoy narration by our highly experienced captains. *We have the San Diego natural History Museum Naturalists on board *We play Oceans Oasis on video to keep the kids or you occupied in transit. What happens if I do not see whales on my cruise? Whale Sightings are guaranteed! That means you will be issued a ticket called a whale check that is good for another whale watching cruise. Or, if you prefer, you may use the whale check for a 1 or 2 hour narrated bay cruise. Will I get seasick? If you tend to have a problem with motion sickness, you may experience seasickness. However, many of our guests experience no discomfort at all. You can pick up over-the-counter medicine at any drug store or you can purchase a [bio band at the ticket booth or on board]. Is there anything else I need to know? *The U.S. Coast Guard requires all passengers over 18 years of age to have valid photo identification. Please make sure to have your photo id available at boarding. *Binoculars are available for rent on board for $5.00. A $50.00 cash or credit card deposit is required.
A Whale Watching Story
The Mystique of a San Diego Whale Watching Cruise
Each December until March is the Southern California whale watching season. Approximately 25,000 people from all over the world embark upon this adventure each year often referring to it as a moving and life changing experience. They seek a glimpse of the fascinating California Gray Whale passing by the San Diego coast on a journey to the warm waters and lagoons of Baja Mexico where the calves are born.
Hornblower Cruises, the largest California Charter Yacht Company, offers a three and one half-hour Whale Watching ECO Cruise out of the harbor in San Diego. Captain Richard Goben, 18 year veteran of Hornblower Cruises & Events was asked to describe how a typical whale watching trip transpires.
Twice daily Hornblower Cruises professional and veteran crew head out to sea on the Adventure Hornblower, a sleek 151-foot charter vessel, acquired by the company specifically to provide a speedy and comfortable trip off the coast of San Diego. Every cruise starts with a safety announcement then the adventure begins with a 30-minutes to transit of the bay. Captains perform a narrated tour highlighting the harbor, complete with facts and statistics about Navy ships and aircraft plus historical sights. Guests are invited to visit the onboard whale exhibit, featuring marine fossils, posters and educational materials complete with a video about whales.
Hornblower Cruises Whale Watching Adventure is an Eco Tour. The crews’ mission is to provide knowledge tour and view all marine wildlife. The Captain makes a point to stop by the bait receivers where live bait for the sport fishing fleet is stored. Co-existing there for guests to view is an impressive number of California Sea Lions, both in and out of the water.
The benefits of whale watching on a Hornblower yacht is the convenience of indoor or outdoor seating, a snack bar with appetizing choices including warm entrees and adult beverage bar. There are binocular rentals as well as blanket rentals because the temperature at sea can vary by 10 degrees or more.
As the yacht exits the harbor the crew will point out resident Harbor Seals and Bottlenose Dolphins. After an additional safety announcement, the yacht officially
enters the Pacific Ocean and the excitement begins to build among the guests. Now is the time to enlist the guests’ help and keep their eyes on the horizon. The captain informs about the Gray Whales that we are looking for.
Radar and helicopters are not used to find the whales. Hornblower’s experienced captain and crew performs hundreds of whale watching trips every year and knows what to look for, where and when to look. The crew describes the spout, the backs, and the tail flukes that we may see. Captains also instruct eager whale watchers how to look for fluke prints or what we call the footprints of whales.
All eyes are on the horizon, awaiting the call Thar She Blows upon first sight of a whale. For fun the onboard which is given to the crewmember that spots the first whale of each season. Captain Rich has awarded this honor for over 25 years.
It’s more rare to see other varieties of whales on the San Diego Whale Watching Adventure. But in the past Hornblower has reported seeing giant Blue Whales, Fin Whales, Humpbacks, Pilot Whales, Minke Whales, and Orcas or Killer Whales.
Where there are whales, there are often their travel companions the dolphins. The guests reaction to seeing schools of dolphins is pure pleasure because they will often put on a good show. The most frequently spotted are Common Dolphins, Rissos Dolphins, or Pacific White-Sided Dolphins.
Things get pretty quiet when everyone onboard is concentrating on seeing the first spout or tail. There is nothing quite like the reactions of people spotting their first whale. But on the majority of whale watching trips, guests do successfully spot a whale. Captains practice the utmost in caution and safety in their approach. Captains inform guests of each and every step of what they are doing as they doing it.
Adventure Captains always approach whales from behind, at an idle speed, making no quick, aggressive moves with the ship and keeping a respectable, and legal distance of over 100 yards!
Once the whales are in front and slightly to one side, the captain narrates the history, and behavior patterns of the magnificent mammals. Even while watching one pod, the crew is keeping a lookout for others. Since the Adventure is faster than most whale watching boats, there is more time allotted for watching whales, so guests can view many pods in a single day.
Active whales may show tail flukes, pectoral fins, and may spy hop or even perform the ultimate behavior, a breach. Later in the season, female Gray’s with newborn calves are seen!
Finally, the time comes to break away to make a timely return. Careful never to pass in front of whales, the yacht cautiously turns away from the whales but everyone continues to look for more spouts! The inbound trip is fun often rendering honors to Navy ships, and issuing I SPOTTED A WHALE stickers to the kids. When the crew returns to the dock they quickly prepare the yacht for the next 300 whale watching passengers.
* Hornblower Cruises & Events received two Finest Service Awards from the San Diego San Diego Convention & Visitor's Bureau in 1998 and 2000. |
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