Whale watching is a big deal in San Diego, CA. There are scores of boat adventures to choose from. The best time of year to spot whales is June and July. Since we're here in May, though, we still wanted to give it a try. The excursion the afternoon before our sunset cruise found a Red Fin Whale, along with hundreds of dolphins.
Dolphins travel in pods. They are either traveling, feeding, or resting. I've seen dolphins in the Caribbean, the Atlantic, and now the Pacific oceans. These were short billed dolphins. They are darker than their light grey cousins. They were less frolicsome than many I've seen, but they bounded and swam all around our boat as we motored out toward the Continential Shelf, over depths of 1,000 feet.
The marine biologist on the boat told us to watch for the activity of birds, especially terns, as they flocked around areas dolphins and whales feed. They hover above these aquatic mammals, waiting for the fish driven up from below. We did see one gathering of birds, but according to the biologist, they were the "boring" birds, not the terns who follow the dolphins and whales.
So, we didn't see a whale. What we did see, other than dolphins, was lots and lots of dogs. There is a beach in the Ocean Beach area called, wait for it, Dog Beach. It's a dog park but on the ocean. Dogs frolic in the waves catching frisbees and balls their owners throw. One small chihuahua trembles on the sand until an owner carries him into the water. He runs back to the dry sand, shaking off the water over and over. Other dogs chase each other in and out of the waves, barking and leaping.
Even though dogs are so domesticated in the United States now that they seldom run in packs, some of their antics are similar to dolphing pods. Playing, running, jumping, and in general enjoying life. We smiled and laughed the entire time watching both dolphins and dogs.
Seeing a whale would have been the cherry on top of the San Diego, CA sundae. Maybe next time.