Whale Watching With Harbor Breeze Cruises

I recently had the amazing opportunity to go whale watching with Aquarium of the Pacific and Harbor Breeze Cruises. A small group from the media set out and had the best morning on the ocean. The weather was beautiful and the sea life came out to play!

When whale watching, it's pretty normal to see dolphins since they love playing in boats' wakes. On this particular morning there were a bunch of common dolphins swimming along with the boat. No matter how many times I see dolphins, it never ceases to amazing me just how smart and playful they are!

And then it happened - we saw a gray whale migrating with it's calf. November through May, they start in Alaska and make their way down to the warmer waters of Mexico to court and have babies. This mom hadn't quite made it all the way south before giving birth and the Aquarium specialists thought the calf was about a week old. What a treat! It was pretty awe-inspiring to see such majestic creatures and have experts from Aquarium of the Pacific on hand to explain what we were seeing and to answer our questions.

Along with the whales were a group of friendly dolphins joining them on part of their journey. Again, dolphins are the best!

I was really impressed with Harbor Breeze Cruises. Their luxury catamarans were designed with whale watching in mind and have stadium seating that allows more people to sit outside compared to most whale watching boats. Plus, the set up provides optimal views.

Also, their experienced captains and expert naturalists are trained by Aquarium of the Pacific so they know what to look for and how to behave around sea life. I really appreciate that they follow the law of keeping a distance between the boat and whales. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a boat can not interrupt whales. That means they must stay at least 100 yards away, not get in their path or change their direction, etc. That's really important and traveling with Harbor Breeze Cruises, you can rest assured that you are experiencing wildlife without disturbing it.

Right now is the perfect time to go whale watching. The waters are so active at this time of year that you have a good chance of spotting whales. And if you don't, you can count on the friendly dolphins! It is a little chilly out on the water but if you bundle up you'll be just fine. Head over to their site to book a tour. Or better yet - book a whale watching tour that includes admission to the Aquarium of the Pacific. The two are right next to each other and a combo ticket is only $49.95 for adults, $33.95 for children, and $45.95 for seniors.

I've been to the Aquarium twice in the last few months and love it there. So many cool creatures and you can get your hands dirty - literally - touching sharks, sting rays, starfish, and more. Make a day out of it and get to Long Beach for a day at the aquarium and on a whale watching tour!