Featured Image Credit: Newport Coastal Adventure Video Screenshot
December was a good time to spot humpback whales off Laguna Beach and further out toward Catalina in California! Over the course of the month several groups, or pods, were seen jumping out of the water, feeding, and tumbling around. The groups ranged in size from three up to eighteen.
Newport Coastal Adventure was able to capture the pod of three, nicknamed “The Three Amigos,” on film. The drone footage shows the three whales swimming and surfacing, releasing air from their blowholes.
The three whales were on their way to Mexico and were about eight miles offshore from Laguna Beach. Seeing so many whales at one time is rare and only happens a couple times a year. A group of ten spotted earlier in the week was only about five miles straight off the main beach.
Some captains of tours say it used to be good to spot ten whales in a year, so this is a good sign for the giant marine mammals. Humpback sightings have been increasing significantly in the last three years. And it’s an experience those who witnessed it will never likely forget.