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My dad was all like i’m super cool and i’m going to surprise my daughters and took us whale watching.

Duration : 0:10:40

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Technorati Tags: boat, boring, day, rain, superman, video, watching, water, whales

I am trying to decide whether to use the commercial company Boston Harbor Cruises or to use the New England Aquarium whale watching tour. Anyone who has gone that has advice would be greatly appreciated.

I used to work on the Aquarium boats for six straight summers. I have done more Whale watches than I can count.

There is NO particular time that is better to visit the feeding grounds. The season is April to October. Depending on what time of year you visit will determine what types of whales you will see. As they migrate from the south, they come in pods. Certain species come first and others troll behind. On either company you are gauranteed to see "a" whale. What they don’t tell you is the types of whales-as like I have said it depends on the time of year.

This early in the season you will most likely see tons of Mikies, some Fin backs and seals and dolphins. It’s in my personal experience that the middle to the later portion of the season is when you see mostly humpbacks with a few minkies here and there. I would say the time frame is about June-September for them.

Like I said before there is no particular time of day that is best. Times don’t matter to whales….what matters is the food supply. In my own experience, I have seen more "active" open mouth feeding, breeching days after a storm. As that is when the ocean’s floor has been interupted and brings the plankton closer to the service. But bare in mind when you do go days before or after a storm the seas are rougher than usual. You can be prepared to possibly see 3-5ft seas. If you tend to get motion sick those days are not for you.

Now, I am not saying only to go during rough weather. You can see many other activities during the nicer weather. If you are bringing kids that is the best time to go.

As for planning ahead…..PLEASE don’t eat hotdogs or fast food prior to your departure. Too many people become sick and end up having a miserable time. Eat a decent lunch that is well rounded and balanced.

Choosing a company: I am partial to the Aquarium for a few reasons: they do not crowd the animals, they give them there natural space and NEVER get with in the limits that are mandated by law. Your safety is number one and is never compramised even if you have to be back for another trip. They will give you the 45minutes of "whale" time that you pay for with out question. Each and every naturalist on board is a trained Naturalist and gives you the correct information. You can find other activities on board, as well as examples of whale body parts, maps, and a staff that will answer any and all questions. Too, all of the outside programs that are part of the Aquarium also support research and funding for the Aquarium.

There are many companies out there just in the Boston area alone. The one and only company that I would never set foot on personally would be Boston Harbor Cruises…no matter what boat it was-Harbor Cruise or Whale Watch. They have had several mishaps and have compramised staff and patrons too many times for me to count.

I might be going there in six months to them but I’ve never done whale watching before. What is whale watching like? Have any of you been to Long Beach doing Whale Watching there? How close to you get to the whales? Please don’t send links. I want hear from your own experience.

whales can come up to the boat or not as they desire. boat is not allowed to get w/in certain distance but you can see the whales because they are so large.

very nice when you can find the whales, sometimes you don’t…off of orcas island near vancouver there is a pod of killer whales that live in the area yr round so good chances of seeing them. santa barbara/long beach/san diego is hit or miss…

Whale watching w/ Dr. Jonathan Opey on the Alala from Kona, HI accompanied by Teare, Dustin & Al.

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I will be in Seattle, WA on April 12-13 with my wife and would like to visit the San Juan islands near Seattle.

Please can you recommend –
1) which is the best island (San juan, lopez or orcas) for whale watching;
2) How can I find good whale watching boat services?;
3) which island has the best beach

Any help is highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

They’re all great and wonderful, but personally I think Orcas is the most beautiful and has some excellent whale watching opportunities.

www.orcasislandwhales.com
www.thesanjuans.com

good luck and happy travels!

For those of you considering whale watching during the annual migration of gray whales along the California coastline, I have provided the following “How To” video tutorial. You might call it a video how to watch whales for dummies.

You can see all of my exciting adventures at http://www.gotbaddog.com or for a 100% video view YouTube.com/Lbrownco

Duration : 0:4:8

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Technorati Tags: California, gray whales, how to, migration, tutorial, video, whale watching

We would like to find a place that is pet friendly, child friendly, fairly private with a pool with whale/dolphin watching close by in Florida. Also what would be the best time of year to go for that?

Well, you can always go to central Florida, around Orlando. You can watch dolphins and whales at SeaWorld, but out of their natural habitat, of course. There’s also SeaWorld’s sister park, Discovery Cove, where you can actually swim with dolphins, sting rays, and other tropical fish. Then there’s EPCOT at Walt Disney World. They offer a tour called "Dolphins in Depth." You don’t swim with the dolphins, but you stand in the water with them, feed them, give them signals to do tricks, etc. I’m taking the tour when I go to Walt Disney World this summer. There’s also the Seas Aqua Tour which I took this past summer and am taking again this summer. It’s awesome! You get to swim in the aquarium tank with the sharks, sting rays, sea turtles, and other huge fish. Finally, there’s the DiveQuest tour where you actually get to SCUBA dive down into the aquarium tank with the sharks, sting rays, sea turtles, etc.

Hope I could help!

I’m thinking of taking the family on vacation to Monterey, CA in July. Is that a good time to go whale watching? What kind of whales will we see?

Summer is the time for seeing Humpback Whales. They gather there for summer feeding in the fertile upwellings off the Monterey Canyon (a very deep canyon that extends off the continental shelf deep into the Pacific).

Keep a sharp eye out, Blue Whales, Minke Whales, Fin Whales and even Sperm Whales are spotted in the area.

There are also five different dolphin species regularly spotted in the area: Pacific White Sided Dolphins, Right Whale Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Risso’s Dolphins. Harbor porpoises are sometimes spotted as well.

Orcas (Killer Whales) are often spotted in the area, though they are not a resident population, they just travel though as they find prey in the area (sea lions, seals and other marine mammals).

Remember there’s never any guarantee of seeing these wild animals but most boat captains are great at finding some sea mammals and birds and even sharks or fish to entertain the passengers.

Dress warmly and in layers – it may be sunny and nice on shore but temps can be in the 50s, with damp winds out at seas.

Lila Ibrahim and Jesse Csincsak team up with Great Pacific Adventures for a whale watching excursion. (Feb. 22)

Duration : 0:4:40

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first have you ever been?
were you bored or otherwise?
and do you think it was overrated…

Haven’t been…except for viewing humpbacks from clifftops etc as they head north. I would go on a whale watching trip….but I reckon it would be one of those "once is enough" experiences.

PS – Very bad DLS decision, lol