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Newport Beach Blue Whale Watching |
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 Newport Beach Blue Whale Description Whale Watching in Newport Beach is a wonderful experience filled with sights that will surely take your breath away. One such sight is of the Blue Whale, which is known as biggest living mammal known on the planet! Scientifically named, Balaenoptera musculous, this sea giant has been known to reach lengths of over 100 feet and tip the scales at a colossal 150 tons. Even scientists attest that the size of today’s Blue Whale daunts the size of an ancient dinosaur! Characteristically, bluish-gray in color, these animals appear especially blue when in the water. Like most other baleen whales, Blue Whales, too, have a light-colored underbelly. The Blue Whales have rather small dorsal fins that can only be seen when these animals are diving in and out of the water.
Prior to diving, Blue Whales will come to the surface to inhale 4 to 5 breaths, and with their tails pointed towards the sky, they will take a deep plunge back into the water. Blue Whales also have an skyrocketing water spout that they blow from their two blowholes. In this moment, the Blue Whales will uncover their shielded blowholes then unleash a fountain of water reaching as high as 40 feet into the air.
Blue Whale Populations On Rise
Due to the popular sport of whale hunting, the Blue Whale population first faced the threat of extinction during the 1920s. By the 1960s, international laws finally made the hunting of whales a crime. Because of these bans, Blue Whales still exist, but they are still considered to be an "endangered species". To the delight of advocates, there is a slight boost to Blue Whale population every year, adding to the 5,000 to 12,000 Blue Whales that are currently alive around the world. Sadly, however, the populous existance of Blue Whales prior to the start of whaling has never been reached since that time.
Amazingly, the Blue Whale, being the largest animal on earth, does not have any natural predators. Their decline, via injury or death, is the largely the result of man-made “predation”, including entanglements with commercial fishing nets and collisions with ships. And now, the effects of global warming, according to scientists, are diminishing the food supply for these whales thereby adding to the threat to their livelihoods.
Blue Whales Consume More Than 8000 lbs. of Food Per Day
Krill is the food of choice for the Blue Whale and they do enjoy it! 40 million krill or about 8,000 lbs daily is what it takes to fuel the 1.5 million-calorie diet of these enormous beings. Hearing about the great efforts it takes to find food would make that the Blue Whale’s substantial consumption of krill seem unbelievable. This feeding process begins with a 300-foot deep dive into the water. Most dives force the whales to these depths from anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes. When a school of krill is found, the Blue Whale lunges towards them and then uses its filtering baleen to eject an excessive amount of water (a byproduct of the catch) from their mouth while holding on to krill. Often times, small fish, crustaceans, squid and various other sea creatures also randomly become a part of the meal simply because they were swimming near the krill at the time of the whale’s feeding.
Blue Whales aren’t born with the immediate ability to eat krill, thus newborn calves have to be nourished by their mother’s milk. Even as calves, Blue Whales have very healthy appetites; drinking as much as 150 gallons of milk in a single day! From birth to the age of 6 months, when they are typically weaned, Blue Whale calves typically double in length from 20 feet to 40 feet.
Blue Whales Reside in Southern California During Summer Months
Blue Whales seasonally reside in Southern California between the months of June and October and will occasionally remain through December. Blue Whales prefer isolation making them distinctly different from other baleen whales that commonly travel in pairs and groups. On the rare occasions that they do swim in groups, Blue Whales will travel at a moderate speed of 12 mph. When feeding, they tread through at about 3 mph. As a lone swimmer, the Blue Whale will swim in short bursts of speed of about 30 mph. Because they preferring to be alone, a congregation of Blue Whales is quite rare; and if seen at all, may be a sign that there may be a bountiful source of krill in that location.
Newport Beach Whale Cruises
Because of dwindling populations, the blue whale is one of the more difficult whales to view. However, from June through October there is a significant blue whale population in the southern California area so it is very likely to see blue whales on one of our Newport Beach Whale Watching tours. Experience the thrill of seeing the amazing blue whale in its natural habitat and let Harbor Breeze Cruises provide you with an incredible whale watching experience. Call 562-432-4900 and to find out more information or to reserve a spot on one of our tours.
Newport Beach Whale Watching conducts whale and dolphin watching cruises seven days a week with tours at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Our whale watching cruises last two to two and a half hours and it is a very good idea to arrive early since tours do fill up rather quickly. Our pricing is as follows:
Individual Ticket Prices – Two Hour to 2 ½ Hour Cruise
Adults $30
Seniors (62 and over) $25
Children (11 and under) $18
Children (2 and under) FREE!
Ticket Prices for groups of 25 or more.
Adults $22
Seniors (62 and over) $18
Children (11 and under) $12
Children (2 and under) FREE!
You can order your tickets online by clicking the button, or calling 562-432-4900. If you have a discount coupon, please present it at the ticket booth when purchasing tickets.
We look forward to seeing you and continuing to make Newport Beach Whale Watching your choice for whale watching in the Newport Beach area. We offer convenient parking and are within walking distance to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific and other landmarks as well as excellent shopping and restaurants to satisfy your craving for any type of cuisine.
For more information on other Newport Beach Whales, please click on the link below:
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