WHALE WATCHERS GET CLOSE-UP PEEK.Byline: David Greenberg The creator of this article, or someone who has substantially contributed to it, may have a conflict of interest regarding its subject matter. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Daily News Staff Writer An early morning stillness in Ventura Harbor belied the angry seas that waited for the passengers who set out on a whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation (cf. bird watching) but the activity can also be for scientific or educational reasons. trip across the Santa Barbara Channel The Santa Barbara Channel is that part of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura. on Saturday. Capt. Glen Galbraith of the Vanguard reassured the passengers that everything would work out fine. ``We have a 17-percent recovery (rate) for persons who fall overboard,'' he joked. The whale watchers donned caps, windbreakers and sunglasses to endure the 22-mile ride across the channel in hopes of catching a glimpse of Pacific gray whales as they migrate from the Bering and Chukchi seas around Alaska, down the California coast and into the waters off Baja California Baja California, state, Mexico Baja California (Span.: bä`hä kälēfōr`nyä), state (1990 pop. 1,660,855), 27,628 sq mi (71,576 sq km), NW Mexico, on the Baja California peninsula. Mexicali is the capital. to breed. By age 8 to 10, the gray whales have grown to an average of 45 feet long and 35 tons and can be identified by up to 1,500 pounds of barnacles attached to their skin. ``They still hold their majestic beauty,'' said passenger Patti Flasch, 50, of Santa Fe Santa Fe, city, Argentina Santa Fe, city (1991 pop. 341,000), capital of Santa Fe prov., NE Argentina, a river port near the Paraná, with which it is connected by canal. , N.M. The mammals came close to extinction twice - in the 1890s by hunters who used whale blubber to make refined lamp oil lamp oil see paraffin (2). , and in the 1920s and 1930s, when whale meat was in high demand as a delicacy. The importance of preserving the gray whale and other marine life is a message naturalist Holly Lohuis has been spreading to passengers since she was hired by the boating company seven years ago. ``The reason we can be optimistic about the future of the ocean is by exposing its beauty to people so we know now to better understand it and then have a desire to protect it,'' she said. Today, an estimated 23,000 to 25,000 gray whales swim in the state's coastal waters. ``I find it a way to reconnect with the natural world,'' said 43-year-old Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. resident Jeff Gehrs, explaining why he brought his two young daughters on the cruise. ``It's important that they see some of the neat things that makes California so special. We see so much of life on the tube. It's important to see the real thing in a non-virtual reality setting.'' During Saturday's excursion, passengers saw only two whales, which spout water as high as 15 feet. High waves and white caps the members of a secret organization in various of the United States, who attempt to drive away or reform obnoxious persons by lynch-law methods. They appear masked in white. Their actions resembled those of the Ku Klux Klan in some ways but they were not formally affiliated with the disguise whales' location. ``When there's no wind blowing, you can see a spout two miles away,'' Lohuis said. As a pleasant addition, however, viewers spotted a couple pods of dolphins swimming under and around the 68-foot vessel, as well as sea lions and harbor seals lazily soaking in the sun on the edge of Anacapa Island Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about 14 miles (23 km) off the coast of Ventura, California, in Ventura County. Anacapa is part of the Channel Islands archipelago (island chain), and is part of the Channel Islands National Park. . ``I was waiting for my kids to get old enough to appreciate it - the nature that's right here in Ventura,'' said 40-year-old Ventura resident Sue Matsukawa, who was on her first whale watch. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Ran in Valley Edition only) Above, Brent Binkley, left, Glenn Galbraith and Doug Swain point out whales during Saturday's excursion. (2--Color in Conejo and Simi Editions) Left, a California gray whale's tail rises out of the ocean Saturday as its dives into the sea. Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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