Searching San Diego for the Largest Mammal of All Time

I have dreamed for decades of seeing a blue whale – the largest animal that’s ever lived (as far as we know at least). When I first investigated the possibility, the only places to see them were remote and usually in very cold waters. Since then, they have become much more widespread, increasing in numbers in southern and northern California.

A few years ago, I made an attempt from Monterey, but we had no luck. So this year, I decided to give San Diego a try. After all, the landscapes and seascapes there are gorgeous, including the top photo of Point Loma – the southernmost point of the city. And I had been following a lot of whale watch company Instagram accounts and confirmed that they were having regular sightings throughout the summer.

I decided to go three different days. I would do a short whale watch cruise with one company one day, another cruise company the next day, and a biplane flight over the water the third day.

The first day, I was on a fairly large ferry boat run by City Cruises for about $60. The boat was quite comfortable with lots of seating and a decent intercom with commentary, as well as refreshments for purchase.

Shortly after leaving the dock, we encountered a small pod of common dolphins. Then, we found a juvenile humpback whale who was playing in some seaweed. He brought his tail out of the water and gave us a little show from a distance.

Luckily, the different whale watching companies stay in radio contact with each other to always be informed about where whales are seen. But don’t worry – nobody rushes up on the whales and infringes on their territory. There are strict restrictions about distance, and the boats turn off their motors when they get anywhere near.

Trust me – we can’t get nearly as close as we’d like. If the whales approach a boat while its motor is off, that’s fine, but otherwise, we have to watch from afar. Certainly, I prefer maintaining respect for the animals, and we got fine looks at the humpback. But since I had seen humpbacks in the past, I was still hoping for the one on my wish list.

Then, our crew was told there were a couple of blue whales not far away, so we made our way in their direction. And we saw them! It was an overcast day, though, and their color looked very dark gray. If I hadn’t been told they were blue whales, I would never have known, as they only brought their backs out of the water – at first. Then, one of them lifted its tail out of the water, and that was a thrill!

You see, a humpback whale’s tail is dark with a lot of very individual white markings on its underside. But a blue whale’s tail is solid in color and looks very streamlined by comparison. There was no mistaking it!

The other indicator that we’d actually seen a blue whale was what’s called a “whale slick” or “whale footprint.” After they’ve come up for air and gone back underwater, the ocean where they’ve been becomes very smooth for a few seconds. Having seen other species of whales, I could tell the blue whale’s enormous size from the length of the slick it left – about three school buses long!

After that day, I would have been satisfied, but I had another day to come on the sea. And am I glad I didn’t decide to skip it! This time, I went with Legacy Cruises for about $58. Once again, we first encountered common dolphins. But this time, we saw hundreds of them, and they were jumping right next to our boat! Let me tell you that this was enormously exciting! Check out my video below.

Then, lo and behold, we saw two blue whales again. Only this time, the sun was out, so we could see their blue color very easily. Plus, they brought a lot more of their bodies out of the water. We didn’t get to see a head or a tail, but we saw a lot of the length of their bodies. The views were simply much better, and I was a very happy whale-lover!

My only complaint about Legacy Cruises is that their boat was a little smaller, and there wasn’t enough room for everyone to get a spot by a rail outside. For that reason, I had to strain to see from inside at times and take photos through windows. I hated that. Luckily, I eventually got a spot outdoors by a rail. Otherwise, they did a wonderful job.

My last day of whale watching, I spent a lot of money (more than $600) on a 40-minute biplane ride on the off-chance that I might see a blue whale from the air and view its full length from above. No such luck. In fact, we saw exactly nothing other than the water and the city.

The flight was pleasant enough, and the plane was gorgeous. BUT I wish San Diego Sky Tours had told me ahead of time that the cockpit would have no doors. Since I don’t know anything about biplanes, I didn’t realize this. If it’s on their website, I missed it.

Let’s just say that getting in and out of that cockpit was difficult. You have to step up on a peg above the wing and climb over the side. Then, you have to be very careful not to touch the brakes ahead of your feet or the gears to your left. My pilot (a former military flyer) strapped me in and put the helmet on me. There was a microphone and a button on top of a gear stick between my knees that allowed me to talk to him.

Okay – that’s all fine and good. But getting out of that cockpit? Holy cow! I had to hold on to a handle above me with both hands and stand up in the cockpit. The problem? There’s no way to stand up straight. You have to hold onto the handle, stand up, and bend back quite a bit while also raising your left leg to waist level to get it over the side of the cockpit and onto the peg. Then, you have to somehow get your other foot over and onto a small black piece on the wing. If you step on the rest of the wing, you can damage it.

Then, you can jump off the wing. Let’s just say I needed a bit of help. I think I can tick “biplane ride” off my list. Next time, I’ll take a helicopter. But if you don’t mind any of that, you might really love being in an open cockpit zooming over San Diego.

All in all, my visit to San Diego was a great success, and I was beyond happy to finally see blue whales! If you visit the city, don’t miss a whale watch cruise. It’s quite a wonderful (and fairly inexpensive) experience for the whole family.