Kelp Forest (Whale Watch) Overlook: A stunning view from the Kelp Forest Overlook at Cabrillo National Monument, offering a prime location for whale watching with panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean.
NPS Photo / T. Jordan
A migrating Gray Whale seen in Baha California, just down the coast from San Diego, California.
Gray Whale Migration - Witness the Annual Winter Journey
Each winter, the Pacific gray whales pass by the western overlooks of Cabrillo National Monument. After spending the summer feeding in the food-rich waters of the Arctic, the whales swim south along the coast to the bays of Baja California, where they mate and nurse their young. Along the way, they pass Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument, where you can witness their annual winter journey.
Interesting Whale Facts
Size and Weight: Adult Pacific gray whales are 30 to 50 feet long and weigh from 20 to 40 tons. Baby gray whales average 15 feet in length and weigh about a ton.
Milk and Growth: A mother gray whale's milk is more than 50% fat. Gray whales live 20 to 40 years on average, and some live up to 60 years. They reach sexual maturity at eight years.
Communication: Gray whales make a series of grunts, clicks, and low rumbles to navigate and communicate among themselves. They don’t ‘sing’ elaborate songs like humpback whales.
Feeding Mechanism: Instead of teeth, gray whales have long sheets of baleen (made of the same material as your fingernails) hanging from the roofs of their mouths. They use these comb-like sheets to filter food from the water. Gray whales eat tiny animals called amphipods, which live in the muddy Arctic seafloor.
Appearance: A gray whale’s skin is dark gray but is mottled with scars and patches of light-colored barnacles growing on its back. Each whale has its own distinctive pattern of barnacles and scars, used by scientists to identify individual whales.
Physical Features: Gray whales have six to 12 knobs, or bumps, along the tops of their tail ridges instead of a fin like some other whales. Killer whales, large sharks, and people are the gray whales' only known predators.
Conservation: Gray whales were nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th century. They have been protected from exploitation by the International Whaling Commission since 1946. As a result, current populations are considered close to their pre-exploitation numbers.
A Gray Whale’s Year
Summer: Gray whales summer in the waters off Alaska and Siberia, where they feed on amphipods. They build up a layer of blubber for insulation and as a food reserve.
Fall: Migrating whales arrive along the Oregon and northern California coasts in late November and early December. Most pass San Diego in late December, January, and February.
Winter: Grays mate and give birth in the warm, shallow lagoons of Baja California from January through March. A cow mates one year and returns to give birth the next.
Spring: In late February, some grays begin swimming north. Cows with calves are the last to leave the lagoons, remaining until March or April.
A majestic gray whale breaches the surface of the ocean, showcasing its barnacle-covered skin and powerful flukes.
Photo: Jay S@Adobe
When to See Whales
Mid-January is the peak time for migration, but whales are visible from mid- to late December through March. The heights around the park's Kelp Forest Overlook and Old Point Loma Lighthouse offer the best viewing. Bring binoculars if you have them, as they make viewing much easier and more enjoyable.
Where to Look
Look west from the park overlooks, toward the ocean. The whales are migrating from the Arctic to the warm bays of Baja California and mainland Mexico, moving from the north (right) to the south (left). Expect them to move at a steady speed of four or five knots, or about five miles per hour. Although some swim close to shore, most whales swim in an area that extends from the kelp beds (about three-quarters of a mile out) to the horizon. In the spring, gray whales will migrate north again, but they are generally too far out in the ocean to see from the park, even with binoculars.
What to Look For
The Blow or Spout: When warm, moist air exhaled from the whales’ lungs meets cool air at the ocean surface, it creates a bushy column called a blow, or spout. A gray whale's blow is up to 15 feet high and visible for about five seconds. Anticipate that the whale will dive for three to six minutes, then surface for three to five blows in a row, 30 to 50 seconds apart, before diving deep again.
The Flukes (Tail): Before making a long, deep dive, a gray whale often displays its 12-foot wide fan-shaped flukes, or tail. The weight of the tail above the whale's body helps the whale to dive deep. The flukes have no bones and connect to the body and tail muscles by banks of tendons. The gray whale normally swims about five miles per hour, about the speed of a child on a bicycle.
The Knuckled Back and Footprint: If the lighting is right and the whale is close enough, you can see the back of a gray whale during and after the blow. It is shiny and black or gray, with a knuckled ridge along the spine. After the whale submerges, you may note an elongated, smooth oval of calm water, known as a footprint, where the whale has been.
Breach and Splash: Gray whales occasionally hurl themselves out of the water and plunge back in with a tremendous splash. This is called breaching. Scientists do not know why gray whales do this, but it is a very exciting sight to see. Sometimes other whales in the area will copy this behavior, so keep your eyes open.
Once You Have Spotted a Whale...
Remember that they are migrating south, which is to your left as you look west out over the ocean from Cabrillo National Monument. Once you have spotted a whale, you can expect that it will surface again to the south. After watching an individual gray whale for a while, you will be able to anticipate its unique rhythm of breaths and dives, and where it will surface next.
"What to Look for when Whale-watching".
Illustrated Poster: What to look for when Whale-watching
Illustrated Poster for Whale-Watching Tips - All the text is listed below
SPOUTS Look first for a whale’s spout or “blow”—it’s easiest to see. As a whale surfaces to breathe, it exhales, sending a plume of air, sea water and moisture condensed from its breath into the air. A gray whale’s spout is bushy and about 15 feet high. It sometimes appears heart shaped. Watch for blows about 30-50 seconds apart. The whale usually travels a short distance between blows.
SOUNDING Watch a whale through a series of blows, and you may see it “sounding”—raising its tail flukes out of the water as it prepares to dive. Dives last 3 to 7 minutes. Time the dive, scan the water in the direction the whale was heading, and you can find it again as it surfaces for its next blow.
BREACHING Occasionally a gray whale will burst from the water, twisting three-fourths of its body into the air before crashing back into the water with a giant splash. It’s called “breaching,” but no one’s really sure why whales do it. It may be courtship, communication, play, an attempt to knock loose skin parasites, or a combination of all of these.
SPYHOPPING Gray whales sometimes thrust their heads straight up out of the water and scan the world around them for 30 seconds or so. This behavior—called “spyhopping”—is more common in the shallow lagoons of Baja California, where the whales rest their flukes on the bottom. In the deeper waters here, whales hold themselves up by “treading water” with their powerful tail flukes.
“Gray Whale Behavior” illustrations adapted from The Oceanic Society Field Guide to The Gray Whale.
A winter parade of whales
Each year, a parade of distinguished visitors marks the coming of winter to southern California. Starting in December, and continuing through late February, more than 20,000 gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus, pass by just off our shores on their annual southern migration from Alaska to the warm lagoons of Baja California. These same animals signal the arrival of spring in February and March during their return trip north.
Whale-watching at Cabrillo National Monument
The high cliffs of Point Loma in Cabrillo National Monument make a wonderful vantage point to watch the grays as they parade by close to shore. An overlook near the old Point Loma lighthouse offers whale-watchers a glassed-in observatory with telescopes.
How to find a whale
It’s not hard to see a whale—once you know when and where to look. Your chances are best in good weather in January and February. Earlier or later in the season, you’ll need a little more patience. A pair of binoculars will give you a closer look. Calm days or mornings, before winds whip up the waves, make for the best viewing. And overcast skies reduce glare from the water, making it easier to spot whale spouts and flukes.
Whale Watch Weekend and Intertidal Festival
Cabrillo National Monument hosts a Whale Watch Weekend and Intertidal Festival every year during late January or early February. The festival includes lectures, exhibits, presentations, demonstrations, kids’ activities, films, and more. Rangers and VIPs are on hand to assist visitors in spotting whales (and giving out stickers), and conducting walks and talks in the tidepools. Check the event calendar for dates and times, and sign up to volunteer!
Tips for Watching Gray Whales
A Winter Parade of Whales: Each year, a parade of distinguished visitors marks the coming of winter to southern California. Starting in December and continuing through late February, more than 20,000 gray whales, Eschrichtius robustus, pass by just off our shores on their annual southern migration from Alaska to the warm lagoons of Baja California. These same animals signal the arrival of spring in February and March during their return trip north.
Whale-watching at Cabrillo National Monument: The high cliffs of Point Loma in Cabrillo National Monument make a wonderful vantage point to watch the grays as they parade by close to shore. An overlook near the old Point Loma lighthouse offers whale-watchers a glassed-in observatory with telescopes.
How to Find a Whale: It's not hard to see a whale—once you know when and where to look. Your chances are best in good weather in January and February. Earlier or later in the season, you'll need a little more patience. A pair of binoculars will give you a closer look. Calm days or mornings, before winds whip up the waves, make for the best viewing. Overcast skies reduce glare from the water, making it easier to spot whale spouts and flukes.
