GRAY AREAS WHALE MIGRATION TO BAJA DRAWS SOUTHLAND RESIDENTS.

Byline: Theo Douglas Staff Writer

ABOARD THE MIGHTY BONANZA, a Los Angeles Sport Fishing boat captained by white-haired Bill Collins and his crew, approximately 20 eager whale watchers have their eyes peeled.

``I guarantee you one thing: I'll show you water,'' Collins says dryly as the boat pulls out of San Pedro harbor.

About three miles out, Collins catches up to a school of Risso, a type of dolphin, and the passengers are enthralled, watching them glow light blue as they ride near the surface to chase after the boat. A mother with a baby elicits the most interest.

However, on this day, the California gray whales - which have started their annual migration from the food-rich, frigid waters of Alaska's Bering Sea to the warm-water lagoons of Baja California - eluded us.

``It's like looking for a needle in a haystack,'' Collins says.

Romantic journey

Each January, the majestic gray whales make their rite of passage, at more than 6,000 miles each way, the longest migration of any mammal in the world. At the southern end of the journey, the whales will mate or give birth.

The pregnant females lead the way, passing by our coastline in early to mid-January. They are followed by the mature males and nonpregnant females, and finally by the juvenile males, the last to head south.

The whales begin their trip back up the coast in February, with the last of them - the females with their newborn calves - heading north between April and June after lingering in Baja's sunny lagoons.

``They give birth to their young and they mate. What's interesting is some give birth on the route and they'll bring the young along,'' says Cabrillo Marine Museum programs director Paul Fukuhara. His group has trained whale-watching guides to sail aboard vessels leaving from Redondo Sport Fishing in Marina del Rey and Long Beach Sport Fishing.

Gray whales were once a big name on the endangered species list, hunted from canoes and whaling ships until their numbers dwindled to little more than 4,000. However, since 1946, whales have been protected by the Marine Mammal act, which banned commercial whale hunting in the United States. Gray whales are now flourishing, with their numbers increasing each year.

The gray whale population is now estimated at about 22,000 to 25,000.

This year should at least qualify as average in terms of numbers of whales seen, Fukuhara says.

``On Jan. 7, we counted 92 going south and one going north,'' he says. ``It's not the worst year, but it's not one of the banner years. The population is definitely going up. I know they've had them (migrating) in the hundreds before.''

Like an army, a whale travels on its stomach. Gray whales are baleen whales, meaning they gulp in a mouthful of seawater and use the baleen film in their enormous jaws to strain out a meal of microscopic sea life from plankton, mussels and the like. The food supply in Alaska - or, sometimes, the lack thereof - influences their migration.

``We had a couple years of very skinny whales and strandings. There was very little food available for them and there was a lot of ice (in Alaska),'' says Alisa Shulman-Janiger, director of the gray whale census for the American Cetacean Society. ``Last year was a different situation. Our count was down, but the whales looked good.''

Hungry whales, she says, are more likely to get confused and stranded - and less likely to conceive. (High numbers of whales also raise the likelihood of one getting stranded somewhere along the state's coastline.) So far, however, this is proving to be a good year, Shulman-Janiger says.

By now, nearly midway through the gray whale mating season, their numbers should be peaking. The second and third weeks of February are ideal for whale watching, Shulman-Janiger says, because by then, significant numbers of whales have birthed in Baja California and are heading back north while latecomers are still swimming down south.

``This year we heard there was a good amount of food and the ice was normal,'' she says. ``We predicted that there should be a good number of whales, many more calves than we've seen, and good-looking whales.''

UP CLOSE

Gray whales are primarily found along the western coast of North America, where, each year, they migrate between the arctic seas and the warm waters off Mexico. They are the most commonly spotted whales along our coast because they live in shallow waters. Here's what we know about these giants:

Population: Approximately 23,000.

Reproduction: Mating takes place in December or January and 13 1/2 months later a single calf is born.

Birth size: About 15 feet long and 1,000 pounds.

Adult size: Up to 50 feet long and up to 45 tons.

Diet: Bottom-dwelling crustaceans.

Where to set sail on a cetacean excursion

Following is a list of whale-watching cruises up and down the coast.

Long Beach

American Pride Cruises offers whale watching through April 30. Departures at 10 a.m. weekends, from Berth 3, Rainbow Harbor. Featured is an on-board barbecue Saturdays, and a gourmet buffet Sundays. Cost with food is $22 for adults, $16 for children on Saturdays; $35 for adults and $17 for children on Sundays. Without food, prices are $14 per person. Children under 2 are free. [phone] or go to www.americanpride.org.

The Aquarium of the Pacific offers 90-minute hands-on marine science excursions through Long Beach harbor. In addition to watching for whales, participants touch local marine life collected on their journey. Trips depart weekends at 1 p.m., weather permitting. Cost, including admission to the aquarium, is $36.95 for adults and $26.95 for children 11 and under. [phone] or www.aquariumofpacific.org.

Long Beach Marina Sport Fishing offers cruises through March 31. Departures at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays, and at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekends, from 180 Marina Drive. Cost is $14 for adults and $9 for children and seniors. [phone].

Long Beach Sport Fishing at Berth 55 offers cruises through March 31. Departures at 10 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekends from 555 Pico Ave. Cost is $12 for adults, $10 for children and seniors. Group rates available for 10 or more people. [phone].

Pierpoint Landing offers cruises through March 31. Departures at 10 a.m. weekdays and at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekends from 200 Aquarium Way. Cost is $14 for adults and $9 for children and seniors. Group rates available for 20 or more people. [phone].

Spirit Cruises offers two-hour whale-watching trips from Feb. 2 through March 31. Departures at 11:30 a.m. weekends and holidays from 429 Shoreline Village Drive (Shoreline Village). Cost is $15 adults, $8 children 3-12. [phone] or [phone].

Marina del Rey

Marina del Rey Sport Fishing offers cruises from Feb. 1 to May 1. Departures at 10 a.m. weekdays and at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m weekends, from 13759 Fiji Way. Cost is $15 for adults on weekdays, $20 on weekends, and $10 for children all seven days. [phone].

Oxnard

Cisco Sport Fishing offers cruises through April 30. Departures at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily from 4151 S. Victoria Ave. Cost is $24 for adults and $16 for children. [phone].

Captain Hook's Sport Fishing offers three-hour cruises for groups up to 49 people, by appointment only. Season runs through March 31. Departures from 3600 S. Harbor Blvd. Cost is $400 to $600 per group. [phone].

Island Packers offers cruises through April 7. Departures at 9 and 11 a.m., 1 and 1:30 p.m from 3600 S. Harbor Blvd. Call for day-by-day availability. Cost is $24 for adults, $21 for seniors, $16 for children. [phone].

Redondo Beach

Redondo Sport Fishing offers cruises through March 31. Departures at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. seven days a week from 233 N. Harbor Drive. Cost is $12 weekdays, $14 for adults on weekends and $10 for kids on weekends. Group rates are $7 per person for groups of 10 or more on weekdays; $8 per person for groups of 20 or more on weekends. [phone]

San Pedro

Los Angeles Sightseeing Cruises offers cruises through April 14. Departures at 11:30 and 2 p.m. weekdays, and 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 2 and 3 p.m. weekends and holidays from Berth 78, Ports O'Call Village. Adults $15, children $8, kids under 6 get in free. [phone] or [phone] or www.2seewhales.com.

22nd Street Landing Sportfishing offers cruises through March 31. Departures at 9 and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. seven days a week, from 141 W. 22nd St. Adults $12, children $8. [phone]. On Feb. 2 and March 16, the company will partner with the American Cetacean Society's Los Angeles chapter to offer one all-day whale watching excursion each day. Hours for these trips will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $40 for Cetacean Society members, $50 for nonmembers. For information on these trips, call [phone].

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Sailing Center offers whale-watching cruises aboard its 50-foot double catamaran Feb. 14 through May 15. Departures seven days at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. from 133 Harbor Way. Cost is $30 for adults, $20 for children. [phone] or [phone] or visit www.sbsail.com.

Captain Don's Whale Watching offers cruises from Feb. 14 to May 15. Departures seven days a week at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. from Stearns Wharf at the end of State Street. Cost is $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $15 for children. [phone].

Sea Landing Sport Fishing offers seven-hour whale-watching cruises out to the Channel Islands, through Feb. 14. From Feb. 15 through May 15, it offers conventional, shorter whale-watching cruises. Departures to the Channel Islands at 8 a.m., returning at 3 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends, from 301 W. Cabrillo Blvd. From Feb. 15 through May 15, departures at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. daily on conventional vessel. Cost for Channel Islands cruise is $65 for adults, $35 for children. Cost for conventional cruise is $32 for adults, $18 for children. [phone] or visit www.condorcruises.com.

Ventura

Island Packers offers cruises through April 7. Departures at 9 and 11 a.m., 1 and 1:30 p.m from 1691 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 105 B. Call for day-by-day availability. Cost is $24 for adults, $21 for seniors, $16 for children. [phone].

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) In SEARCH of MIGHTY BEASTS

Catch a glimpse of the California gray whales as they might make their annual migration along the Pacific Coast

Illustration by Jorge Irribarren/Staff Artist

(2 -- color) Off the coast of Redondo Beach, dolphins keep pace with a whale-watching cruise.

(3 -- color) Dolphins surface in the waters near a tour ship. The mammals often keep whale watchers company.

(4 -- color) A gray whale shows its fluke, left off Dana Point.

(5 -- color) no caption (whale)

Box:

(1) UP CLOSE (see text)

Source: ``Whales and Other Marine Mammals of California and Baja'' (Lone Pine; $12.95)

(2) Where to set sail on a cetacean excursion (see text)