March in the mountains brings the last of the snows, the first of the spring rains, and a hopeful end to Pack events and meetings being cancelled due to bad weather. It felt like it was impossible to get together as a group this winter! With the approach of spring though, came a Pack event that we had never done before... Whale Watching.
And what better place to go whale watching than the Dana Point 2005 Festival of Whales? We had a GREAT time!!! Most families headed down several hours early to enjoy the festival events before getting on the boat. There were artists with works on display, bands playing a wide variety of music, crafts for sale, and more. Some events, like kayak races and sailing lessons, had to be cancelled due to temperatures and an incoming storm, but the weather held out long enough for not be a problem for our trip.
So, we all gathered as we found each other, slowly making our way to the Dana Wharf Sport Fishing charter office to check in. We had a GREAT turnout for this event.
With tickets in hand, and hopes for seeing whales high, we waited patiently for our boat, the Sea Horse, to arrive.
Once on board, the boys quickly started exploring the ship. The galley served candy bars and hot cocoa to those that were sure enough of their sea-worthiness to put something in their stomachs, while the captain briefed everyone on safety precautions and equipment on board. Within no time we were underway, snaking our way out through the jetties and into open water.
For all the playing, chattering, and exploring going on, there was never a single eye that didn't occasionally dart out over the waves to see if there was a gentle giant lurking out there ready to spray water into the air. For the moment though, all we saw were some pelicans that dove so hard into the water it was amazing that they didn't break their necks.
Our first stop was at a buoy that is favored by sea lions. The bull (male) was HUGE, and very protective of his territory. They tolerated us circling them for a view though, occasionally entertaining us by barking, or diving into the water and then splashing back up onto the platform.
As deep sea fishermen, which some of the parents in the Pack are, we are usually in the position of passionately disliking these bait-fish thieving creatures. Having this close-up view of them just hanging out and relaxing was a nice change of perspective though.
Unfortunately, while we did see a tiny bit of the back of one whale, we didn't see much. So little in fact that everyone was issued passes to come back and watch again some other time. But I'll tell you... despite not really getting a good look at any whales, I don't think anyone counted the day as a loss. As we headed back into harbor, every face had a smile. Can't wait to go back again!
