Whale Watching in San Diego

• During late December through March, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps celebrates the gray whale season with educational activities and whale exhibits.  The aquarium's outdoor tide-pool plaza, overlooking La Jolla's shoreline and the Pacific Ocean, offers an excellent vantage point for viewing the gray whale's epic journey. www.aquarium.ucsd.edu
  
  
• Guests can enjoy the 2nd annual Big Bay Whale Days on January 23 – 24 along San Diego Bay’s downtown waterfront Embarcadero.  Embarcadero merchants including Hornblower Cruises & Events, San Diego Harbor Excursion, The Fish Market restaurant and Anthony’s Fish Grotto join forces to offer amazing deals and a “whale of a time” during San Diego’s gray whale watching season. During the festival, adults who purchase whale watching tickets from Hornblower Cruises & Events or San Diego Harbor Excursion receive complimentary tickets for a second San Diego Bay tour, while kids cruise free throughout January.  In addition, Anthony's Fish Grotto and The Fish Market are offering specials for families to dine for lunch or dinner, and the USS Midway Museum and San Diego Maritime Museum are offering reduced admissions during the weekend. www.hornblower.com
  
  
• Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego's picturesque national park, is situated on the panoramic Point Loma peninsula and offers a newly renovated glass enclosed observatory from which to spot whales during migration season.  Visitors can also explore whale exhibits and listen to a taped narration describing characteristics of these popular animals.  Cabrillo's annual Whale Watch Weekend and Intertidal Life Festival on February 6 – 7 from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. features presentations, exhibits and films.  Rangers are also on hand throughout the weekend to assist visitors in spotting the whales and explore the park’s magnificent tide pools.  Admission is $5 per private vehicle.  www.nps.gov/cabr

WHALE WATCHING DAY EXCURSIONS

• During December 19 – April 17, Dennis Conner's America's Cup Experience and the San Diego Maritime Museum are offering a unique whale watching experience aboard the America, a historic replica of the world’s first America’s Cup winner. The 139-ft. long sailing yacht is perfectly suited for whale watching because of its low sleek lines, deep keel for stability and the ability to quietly approach the whales under sail without using noisy engine power. The yacht’s low sweeping deck also gives guests a great vantage point for photographing the whales up-close. The 4-hour whale watching excursion departs daily at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. from the San Diego Maritime Museum, located at the downtown waterfront along San Diego Bay, and guests are welcomed to bring their own lunch and adult beverages for a picnic at sea. Excursions cost $65 for adults and $34 for children (ages 12 years old and under) on weekdays and $85 for adults and $44 for children (ages 12 years and under) on weekends. The cost of the excursion includes complimentary admission into the San Diego Maritime Museum, soft beverages, snacks, a narration about whale migration habits and a history of the America. www.stars-stripes.com
  
  
• During December 26 – April 4, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps and San Diego Harbor Excursion team up for narrated, 3.5-hour whale watching cruises out of San Diego Bay; two cruises depart daily, one in the morning and another in the afternoon.  Birch Aquarium naturalists narrate the tours, and guests receive gray whale fact sheets.  Indoor and outdoor seating is available, with a full galley onboard.  Reservations are recommended. Ticket prices are $30 for adults on Monday-Friday, $35 for adults on weekends and a daily $15 ticket price for children. www.sdhe.com, www.aquarium.ucsd.edu
  
  
• Hornblower Cruises and Events offers 3.5-hour deluxe whale watching adventure cruises in partnership with the San Diego Natural History Museum during December 12 through mid-April.  Passengers receive a professional narration on the whales’ migration and other marine life, and the boat features snack bars, binocular rentals, climate-controlled indoor seating and a museum-curated whale exhibit with fossils and video.  Expeditions depart daily at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; ticket prices are $32 for adults and $16 for children (4–12 years old) on Monday–Friday, and $37 for adults and $19 for children (4–12 years old) on weekends.  Discounts are available for seniors, groups and military personnel.  Hornblower guarantees to take guests out to sea again for free if no whales are spotted.  www.hornblower.com
  
  
• H&M Landing offers 3-hour whale watching cruises during mid-December through mid-March, and 5-hour cruises from December through April.  All cruises include informative narrations on the whales, outdoor seating and a galley with hot food and beverages.  Daily departure times for the 3-hour tours are 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for juniors (13–17 years old) and $17.50 for children (2–12 years old). The 5-hour tours depart at 10 a.m. on Thursday – Sunday and take sightseers into Mexican waters and the wildlife sanctuary of the Coronado Islands.  Ticket prices are $50 for adults and $40 for juniors and children.  Special group rates are available upon request.  H&M guarantees to take guests out to sea again for free if no whales are spotted. www.hmlanding.com
  
  
• OEX Dive & Kayak Centers offers visitors a 2.5-hour Whale Watching Kayak Tour during December 19 – March 28. The approximate one-mile paddle tour launches daily at 1 p.m. from La Jolla Shores; the cost is $60 for a single kayak and $110 for a double kayak. Prices include transportation of the kayak to and from the beach, kayak rental, guided tour, life vest, paddle and wetsuit.  www.oexcalifornia.com
  
  
• During December 19 – April 11, San Diego visitors can experience a thrilling whale watching excursion aboard an authentic 30’ Navy SEAL Rigid Inflatable Boat (R.I.B.) through Adventure RIB Rides. Passengers enjoy a fast ride to the ocean, allowing more time for whale spotting, as they learn about the natural and migration habits of the whales from a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain, who also serves as the on-board naturalist. Groups up to six passengers can charter the entire boat for $175 per hour plus tax; public tours are offered daily from 9 a.m. until noon. Ticket prices are $85 for adults and $70 for children (5–12 years old) plus tax. www.adventureribrides.com
  
• During mid-December through mid-February, La Jolla Kayak provides close encounters with grey whales and other marine life including sea lions, garibaldi and leopard sharks. The 2.5-hour tours take guests along the La Jolla coastline and through La Jolla’s incredible Sea Caves.  Tours depart daily at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and cost $65 for a single kayak and $110 for a double kayak; the cost of wetsuits is included. www.lajollakayak.com
  

SPECIAL EXPEDITIONS

• Birch Aquarium at Scripps is hosting two exciting whale watching adventures in Baja California including a four-day Weekend Whale Adventure on February 12 –15, and a five-day Whale Watching Safari on February 17 – 21 and March 24 – 28. These motor coach tours along the Baja California coast include tours of the scenic coast of Baja California, guided boat rides in Ojo de Liebre (also known as Scammon's Lagoon, the famed breeding and calving grounds for the gray whales) and short visits to pristine salt marshes, the Vizcaino Desert and prehistoric cave paintings.  The extended overnight option on the Whale Watching Safari includes a visit to Bahia de San Ignacio, where exhilarating guided boat rides offer close encounters with the gray whales.  The costs of these trips vary per person, and a valid passport is mandatory for each guest.  www.aquarium.ucsd.edu
  
  
• H&M Landing offers an 11-day seagoing expedition during March 11 – 22 to some of Baja California's most remote islands and breathtaking coastal areas including San Benito Island, San Ignacio Lagoon, the Sea of Cortez and Magdalena Bay. At each location, guests enjoy naturalist-led nature walks, beach combing, snorkeling and dune and marsh explorations in addition to up-close encounters with gray whales, blue whales, humpback whales, elephant seals and dolphins.  The cost is $3,340 per adult. www.hmlanding.com