While Orange County was reveling in the spirit of the holidays this week, a group of marine mammals braced a party of their own.
On Tuesday, Dec. 24, Capt. Steve Plantz, on board the Manute’a — a catamaran operated by Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari — came across a gala spate involving three grey-headed whales, and some dolphins and ocean lions.
Plantz had taken the Manute’a out on its first public cruise on Christmas Eve morning and was looking for marine mammals — including gray whales which have started to show up off the Orange County coastline during their annual movement from the Bering Sea in Alaska.
He first learn a group of common dolphins which led Plantz about three miles straight out of Dana Point Harbor, where he caught sight of the whale rants. As the craft got closer, Plantz ensure three whales — two adults and one adolescent. The common dolphins continued to frolic with the whales who were cruising south.
Two hours later, Plantz took out a second group of passengers. This time he found the whales off Camp Pendleton, surrounded by about 20 Pacific white-sided dolphins and three sea lions.
” The dolphins were diving around them and under them ,” Plantz said.” The sea lions has only just been rushing .”
” Had this been any epoch of the year, to get a sighting like this would have was almost like Christmas ,” he added.” To get this on Christmas Eve, it contributed a special element .”
Read more: ocregister.com.