A pair of blue whales swim off the bow of the Christopher on Wednesday about 11 miles from Long Beach. Photo Credit- Michele Jachimczuk
Blue whales made there most impressive showing for Los Angeles/Orange County whale watchers on Wednesday afternoon as a group of whale watchers on board the Christopher from Harbor Breeze Cruises were treated some incredible sights.
At least 8 of the leviathans fluked, showed their pleats, rolled over on their backs and were lunge feeding about 11 miles from Long Beach and just a few miles off Huntington Beach. “This is by far the best show of the year,” said crew member Steven Quang.
The largest creatures to ever inhabit the earth started to gather here where copious amounts of krill were being found. Captain Chris Batts pointed out dense concentrations of the tiny shrimp-like creatures over a wide area before he even saw a blue whale. Birds hovered above the orange swirls of krill when Batts pulled back on the throttles. “They (blue whales) won’t be far away. It was less than 10 minutes before the giants began to surface.
Cheers came from the whale watchers on board the Christopher as they witnessed lunge feeding on the surface. “Simply amazing; I am so glad I came out,” said Marty Ebersman from Los Angeles.
Blue whales consume an astounding 4 tons or more of krill a day. During feeding, large volumes of water and krill are taken into the mouth causing the pleated grooves in the throat to expand. As the mouth closes, water is flushed through baleen plates which trap the food for a scrumptious meal.
This blue whale was lung feeding causing the pleated grooves in its throat to expand. Incredible sights off the Southeren California coast now. Photo Credit- Michele Jachimczuk
Karen Davis was on vacation from St Louis with her husband Vernon and daughter Nicole. “None of us have ever been on a whale watch trip,” said Davis. “This is something everyone should do at least once and it’s something none of us will ever forget.
These are incredible mammals. They have hearts larger than a small car. Their tongues weigh more than an elephant. They can reach lengths of 100 feet and weigh over 100 tons.
At one point on this trip, there were at least 8 blue whales in several different directions from the Christopher. When the whales are lunge feeding, they seem oblivious to the fact that the boats are neaby. At times, the blue whales were within 20 feet of the Christopher.
“With all this krill here, I have a feeling these blue whales are hear to stay for a while,” said Batts. Batts will be on Philip Friedman Outdoors Radio this Sunday at 8 pm on www.AM830KLAA.com to talk more about these magnificent creatures.
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