This past Thanksgiving whale watchers had much to be thankful for, including the first gray whale appearance seen by a Dana Point whale watching vessel during a trip aboard Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari in Dana Point, California. Gray whale sightings in November are unusual. They’re typically seen December through May. Whale watching passengers and crew were very excited to see a gray whale early!
“Last season, the whales arrived early and the gray whale season went long, hopefully this whale is the first of many who will pass by on their way down to Baja and back to Alaska on their annual migration,” says Captain Dave.
Throughout their migration gray whales face numerous challenges and hazards one of which takes the lives of nearly 1,000 whales and dolphins every day. Scientists estimate that 308,000 dolphins and whales die because of fishing gear entanglement every year worldwide. Captain Dave organized Orange County’s first whale disentanglement group in 2008 and has successfully disentangled several gray whales, including Lily, whose disentanglement in Dana Point Harbor made national headlines. Capt. Dave recently launched his new catamaran, “Lily Whale Research/Rescue Safari”, a 62-foot luxury whale watching vessel that has also been specially equipped to rescue entangled whales and dolphins as well as conduct photographic recapture research.
