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Tips for Whale Watching Asea

Whale Watching Tips When You're Asea

Mixing boats and whales can bring you into pretty close proximity, especially if you're on a small personal craft. As exciting as that might seem, please try to remember that whales are wild animals like elephant and giraffe... We can't predict where they might go or what they might do.

But before we get to our tips specific to when you're doing your whale watching from a boat, a quick review of our general tips for whale watching:

For the best possible whale watching experience:

• Plan your trip for peak whale watching season
• Pick a spot that's known for its whale watching
• Choose a calm, clear day
• Be patient
• And things to bring along:
     A good pair of binoculars;
     A camera or video cam with a decent zoom lens;
     Sun screen and sun glasses;
     Warm clothes, in case it turns nippy;
     A picnic lunch, snacks, and something to drink

Commercial whale watching boats are generally skippered by experienced seamen and often carry a wildlife expert who will share information with you about what to look for and what exactly you're seeing when you find something.

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To find the best hotel prices for your Northern California whale watching trips, compare at HotelsCombined.com:

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Whale Watching Tips for When You're Whale Watching from a Boat

             There are many options these days, from the familiar Dramamine
              to Sea Bands to The Patch and more...

• Bring or wear rubber-soled shoes for your own safety
     
  Boat decks can be wet and slippery. It'll really spoil your trip if you fall and break something, or - worse yet- end up overboard!
•  Consider a hat and/or ear protection
  
  It can be very windy when you're asea. You'll be more comfortable if you don't get an earache, and views will be better without your hair whipping in your face
• Head for the upper deck and the starboard (or right-hand) side
  
  The best place on the boat for viewing the whales is on the upper deck. You'll be above the level of the sea, and it's usually less crowded.

How to whale watch, and what to look for: when you're whale watching, this is how to go about it and what you'll be looking for...

• Scan the surface of the water rather than looking down into it
• Look for a blow, or spout (as seen above) - when the whale surfaces after a dive, he'll blow the air out through his blow hole, creating a misty vapor jet
• Also look for whale footprints, especially if you're on a high promontory - you may be able to spot the glassy mark a whale makes on the surface of the ocean, almost like an oil slick (see photo at Tips for Whale Watching)

In addition to the many species of whale you may spot from asea, you may also encounter dolphins and porpoise, sea otters, sea turtles, and plenty of ocean-going waterfowl.

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For more whale watching tips and information, click on any of the links below:

• Tips for When You're Ashore
  Tips to get the most from whale watching from land
• Planning Your Whale Watching Trip Ashore
  What you need to know for whale watching from Northern California shores
• Planning Your Whale Watching Trip Asea
  What you need to know for arranging your whale watching from a boat
• Tips for When You're Aloft
  Tips to help you get the most from whale watching from a plane
• Planning Your Whale Watching Trip Aloft
  How to plan a whale watching trip from the air
• Whale Watching Videos
  See what you've been missing!

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