It’s the most wonderful season for whale watching, especially for these Californian boaters. The passengers aboard this boat were treated with the most marvelous sight when two giant gray whales appeared nearby and began bobbing, rolling, and flashing their tails. Experts called the behavior “mugging”, although we bet nobody on the tour boat minded being mugged this way.
Gray whales are known as the friendly whales. Still, as soon as they were within the vicinity of the boat, the captain powered off the engine so the whales felt comfortable enough to come near. And they did. They floated around the boat for about 45 minutes, greeting its passengers with their antics.
As for the timing of the encounter, these whales are migrating north during March. The whales’ long journey extends from their breeding waters in Mexico back home to Alaska, passing California’s coast.