RANDY'S WHALE WATCHING AND SPORT FISHING

Thar' she blows! December through May is whale watching season here in Monterey. The California grey whale migrates down to Baja California to give birth in the warm waters of Mexico, returning calf in tow to the north in Spring. We caught up with several of these amazing creatures on a recent Saturday, via a two hour tour on the Capt. Randy.

Overview:

Julie writes: We left the two youngest behind (thanks Mom!) because the thought of jumping overboard after Mr. Wiggles (Elisha, 5) wasn't very appealing. Next time, we'll go ahead and bring them. There were several children on board, one as young as two, who obviously enjoyed themselves as much as their parents.

 

Trip Highlights:

· David's (7) favorite part of the trip was the school of dolphins we "raced". For about 10 minutes or more, we were surrounded by hundreds of dolphins playing games with the boat. Such beautiful and graceful creatures, and we were right next to them, watching them dash in front of the boat, playing tag and leapfrog with one another.
· The 2-hour tour is narrated. What that means is NOT a pre-recorded tape blasting things irrelevant to the current situation. It's the captain over the loudspeaker giving history, whale and wildlife facts, tourist(DW) information, and calling things to our attention. He obviously loves his job, and his enthusiasm at whale sightings was unabashed.
· Reach out and touch someone! I doubt we will ever be as close to a whale again as on this trip. The captain maneuvered us up to a group of three grey whales. One surfaced not three feet from the side of the boat! Had the bow of the boat been lower, we could have touched her. Simply amazing!
· Because we weren't sure what to expect, we'd brought things for the "down time". We needn't have bothered. The Captain kept us close to the action, and we had very little waiting around time. Jenna, 8, and our neighbor Rachel, also 8, spent those couple of minutes "blowing bubbles to the dolphins."

One thing that impressed me is that these people are very family-oriented. From the lady who answered the phone and took our reservations to the deckhand who helped us off the boat, absolutely everyone was just plain nice. They obviously enjoy their jobs, and this enthusiasm spills over to the customers. This was an incredibly exciting trip that won't soon be forgotten!

Out & About Helpful Hints: Don't forget your zoom lens if you have one. David and I took some beautiful pictures for our scrapbooks, but the fluke shots would have been incredible with a zoom. Your children might also enjoy using binoculars (available for rent for $5 at the boathouse). They aren't necessary, but fun. We'd asked the folks at Randy's about motion sickness before going. "Get a good night's sleep, eat a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast like oatmeal or waffles without syrup, and stay toward the back of the boat if you're feeling queasy." We did, and not one person on the boat showed any queasiness.

Kid Safety Considerations: The deck "crew" (on this trip, just one) was extremely conscientious. He help every person onto the boat, not simply just offering his arm, but supporting our steps as we boarded. Once on, he was careful to make certain all children under 10 were properly secured in lifejackets, and offered a jacket to anyone else wanting one.

(c) 1999 Paul and Julie Gentry. Note: this article first appeared in Monterey County Family Magazine.