Whale Watch Weekend

Whale Watch and Intertidal Life Festival

NPS

Whale Watch and Intertidal Life Festival

On January 11 & 12, 2025, visit Cabrillo National Monument for Whale Watch Weekend!

 

Celebrate the return of the Pacific gray whales as they pass Point Loma along part of their annual, round-trip migration from Alaska to Baja California. We are also celebrating the 75-year anniversary of the first public whale watching event, held right here at Cabrillo National Monument.

 

Schedule of Events

Saturday, January 11 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM:

• Enjoy exhibits and activities from multiple ocean and conservation themed organizations!
• Attend presentations by experts in marine conservation and more! (See speaker schedule below)
• Take your little ones to do whale-y fun crafts in the visitor center!
• Enjoy a children's book reading in the Visitor Center at 11:30am and 1:30pm
• Earn a Junior Ranger Badge
• Spot whales at the Whale Overlook with the help of park volunteers and staff!
• Visit the restored Military Bunker from 10am-3pm.
• Visit the Kitchen Garden next to the Lighthouse and talk with the volunteers at 10:30am and 2:30pm.
• Hike down the Oceanside Trail and visit the low tide in the tidepools in from 1pm - 4:30pm.

Sunday, January 12 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM:

• No exhibits or speakers this day, but the fun continues with...
• Take your little ones to do whale-y fun crafts in the visitor center!
• Earn a Junior Ranger Badge
• Spot whales at the Whale Overlook with the help of park volunteers and staff!
• Visit the restored Military Bunker from 10am-3pm.
• Visit the Kitchen Garden next to the Lighthouse and talk with the volunteers at 10:30am.
• Hike down the Oceanside Trail and visit the low tide in the tidepools in from 1pm - 4:30pm

Speaker Schedule for Saturday January 11:

Auditorium Presentations

• 10:00 AM - Trevor Joyce
  Research Biologist, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center
• 11:00 AM (via Zoom) - Dr. Steven Swartz
  Author of "Lagoon Time: A Guide to Grey Whales and the Natural History of San Ignacio Lagoon"
• 12:00 PM - Serge Dedina
  WILDCOAST
  Topic: From Devil Fish to Friendly Whales: The Amazing Story of Gray Whales in Baja California
• 1:00 PM - Dr. Audra Ames, Ph.D & Dr. Ann Bowles
  Hubbs Seaworld Research Institute
  Topic: Whale Acoustics and Tracking / Noise-Related Research and Applications
• 2:00 PM - Ric Matthews
  Founder, American Cetacean Society
• 3:00 PM - Dr. Dimitri Deheyn, Ph.D
  Scripps Institution of Oceanography / Walter Munk Foundation
  Topic: Research on Fluorescence from Intertidal Sea Anemones
• 4:00 PM – Dr. John Hildebrand
  Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  Topic: Why do the Great Whales Sing?

Visitor Center Presentations

• 10:00 AM - Katie O’Donnell
  US Ocean Conservation Manager, WILDCOAST
  Topic: Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
• 11:30 AM - Mary Rose
  Children’s Book Reading
• 1:30 PM - Mary Rose
  Children’s Book Reading

 

Learn more about Whale Watching at Cabrillo.