Ocean Institute Cruise Makes Rare Humpback Whale Sighting Off Dana Point
DANA POINT, CA, August 5, 2008 -
Peter Heistand, Relief Captain of the Ocean Institute's R/V Sea Explorer, reported a rare sighting of a humpback whale three miles off Dana Point on Tuesday, August 5. He was taking a group of school children in search of marine mammals, when he spotted the humpback late in the morning.
He reported, "It was cruising around slowly spy-hopping (poking its head up out of the water) and fluking when it went down to feed."
Captain Heistand took the children back to shore for lunch, and returned in the early afternoon to search again for the humpback. The group spied it a second time 1.5 miles out of Dana Point Harbor. He observed, "It had its head floating in a kelp paddy and breathed every few minutes, which is typical behavior when they sleep. This one was having a post-lunch nap!"
In his 13 years of serving as part-time captain of the Sea Explorer, this is Heistand's first sighting of a humpback. He believes that the last local humpback sighting was in 2007.
The Ocean Institute offer marine mammal cruises most weekends. For information, visit www.ocean-institute.org or call (949) 496-2274.
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