Humpback Whale Dazzles Dana Point Coast: Whale Watching

DANA POINT, CA — Sea-bound travelers aboard a Dana Wharf Whale Watching vessel were treated to a special sight Monday morning.

"The day started with a pod of around 30 Risso's dolphins actively feeding 5.3 miles off the coast of Laguna Main Beach," Dana Wharf naturalist Laura Lopez told Patch. "South of the Dana Point Harbor, multiple pods of common dolphin with calves in tow delighted passengers."

An adult humpback whale was spotted just outside of the Dana Point Harbor at noon, surprising onlookers with split dives and flukes.

"The whale had a consistent dive pattern, surfacing for three to five blows before sounding for four to six minutes," Lopez said.

"We then headed southwest and found a megapod of common dolphin four miles off the San Clemente Pier," she said. "They stretched more than a mile wide, and displayed a variety of behaviors — some groups hunting with sea birds overhead, and others racing to bow-ride the Ocean Adventure."