WHALE-WATCHING CRUISES GET THE SEAL OF APPROVAL.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

You couldn't have designed a more picture-perfect day for whale watching, even if the seas were on the choppy side - and even if the star attractions didn't show.

But an enormous pod of Pacific whitesided dolphins and a group of barking sea lions took the spotlight from the gray whales that my family and I were trying to see.

Now, the first thing any cetacean-seeking seafarer needs to understand is that a trip on the ocean comes with no guarantees. You're going several miles out to sea, after all, not to the zoo. On any given voyage during whale-watching season, you could end up spotting dolphins, sea lions, seals, otters, orcas (better-known as killer whales) and - of course - the gray whales themselves. Or, if the ocean kingdom is in a less viewable mood, a whale watcher may see little more than, well, the rollicking waves.

Whale-watching season typically runs from late December through the end of March, when the grays are on their way south to breeding grounds in Baja, before returning north to Alaska. During the season, a number of companies journey twice daily out of harbors in Oxnard, Long Beach, Redondo Beach, and as far south as Dana Point and San Diego. Cruises usually last between two and three hours, with the Ventura County voyages tending to go slightly longer since it takes the boats a while to get out by the Channel Islands, where the prime viewing takes place.

To attract your business, these companies will offer such attractions at cheaper rates than their competitors (adults can expect to pay around $20 to $25; children $12 to $15), DVD keepsakes of your voyage, homemade treats or naturalists trained by the American Cetacean Society. Few, if any, will offer any kind of whale-sighting guarantee, although some will give you a free pass or discounted rate for your next visit should your journey prove whale-less.

We opted for the Harbor Breeze Cruise, which departed the dock directly adjacent to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Harbor Breeze CEO Dan Salas said that the season had gotten off to a prosperous and early start: Boats had started spotting whales shortly before Christmas.

To increase our odds of a sighting, Harbor Breeze even dispatched a futuristic-looking scout plane to cruise around up above and look for signs of sea life. We were, Salas explained, the only whale-watching boat out that day.

Our 2 1/2-hour voyage aboard the Christopher - shared by some 76 other cruisers - took place on the Tuesday just after the dawn of 2006. A magnificent cloudless sky proved slightly deceiving as storms from the previous weekend had stirred up the swells (that's ocean-speak for waves) to a boat bouncing at capacity (more on that in a moment). And when you're chugging along at a brisk 20 knots (about 24 mph), those mild ocean breezes become actual chill- inducing winds.

Once we left the harbor - passing the majestic Queen Mary en route - the voyage wasn't particularly calm. Per the prewatch guidelines, posted on the Harbor Breeze Web site, we had packed jackets, snacks, a camera and sunscreen. I forgot a hat (big mistake!), but remembered - landlubber that I am - a full supply of Dramamine, two doses of which I ingested about an hour prior to our journey.

Our craft was a high-speed catamaran capable of transporting up to 150 passengers. By the time we hit the breakwater and the onset of those jostling waves, a handful of passengers were driven below deck, out of the path of the winds. I ultimately discovered, however, that fresh air - no matter how chilly - and an unobstructed view of the horizon can help calm the stomach.

Some 35 minutes into our voyage, while we were below deck, Jeremy, my 7-year-old son, put his head down on a table and fell asleep for a solid 15 minutes. How he managed to accomplish this aboard an erratically bouncing boat is beyond my comprehension (I tried it myself; didn't work), but there may be something to this rocking-to-sleep theory. The next time he's fighting slumber, we'll seek out one of those motion simulator rides and see whether that does the trick.

And speaking of wobbling, there is nothing like an unstable floor to rob an individual of any shred of dignity. Passengers looking to move on and off the outside upper decks - myself included - were a sliding and careening assortment of comic relief. My hat goes off - or would have, had I brought one - to anybody who managed to get from point A to point B without smashing into a railing or pitching overboard while holding a small child.

2 p.m.: Our voyage is nearly two hours old when the scout plane spots and directs us to an enormous pod of dolphins who are leaping, diving and frolicking by the hundreds along the side of the boat. I get a quick peek, but not an extended look because - wimp that I clearly am - I have now discovered that lying prone on a bench is a more effective palliative than the aforementioned Dramamine.

2:35 p.m.: The stomach feels better, and I'm hearty enough to return to the upper deck to greet the sea lions who are lazing on a ``shallow water'' buoy. They bark their hellos (or ``Get lost!'' or ``Who's got the mackerel?'') and a few of them make a dash for the water as our boat nears.

3 p.m.: Calm waters again as the Christopher heads back into port. We have seen no whales. Jeremy has redubbed our journey a ``dolphin- and sea lion-watching cruise.''

Among my fellow passengers, the young children appear to have gotten the biggest charge out of the journey, particularly the dolphin sighting. Two-year-old Molly Gallagher of Pendleton, S.C., had an especially grand time, her mother, Eliza, reports. Thirteen-month-old Aidan, dad Colin Gallagher and Colin's mother, Lois, completed the party.

Having raised children in Orange County, Lois Gallagher boarded many a whale-watching vessel on her kids' various school excursions. ``It's very exciting. Usually you'll see the flukes, but I've never seen one spout, and I have seen killer whales in pods, but not off a whale-watching boat,'' Lois says.

And which sighting experience is more thrilling, Eliza asks: a ``ginormous'' pod of dolphins or a single whale?

``Because I've seen dolphins before, it would be more exciting to see a whale,'' returned Lois. ``Whales are more rare.''

Oh well, maybe next time. My clothing layers, my son and, of course, my Dramamine will be ready.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

Tail spotting from dry land

Yes, you can in fact see whales without braving the sea or forking out the admission to a marine park.

The Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Palos Verdes is a small natural history museum that also serves as a prime whale-watching spot during the season. From sunup to sunset, officials from the L.A. chapter of the American Cetacean Society set up at Point Vicente and tally the number of whales that pass by.

``You can bring your binoculars, but you won't need them,'' says Diana Alps, operations manager for the ACS' national headquarters. ``The gray whales travel very close to shore. Sometimes you (only) have to walk out to the cliff's edge and look down to see whales.''

The Interpretive Center is located at 31501 Palos Verdes Drive W., Rancho Palos Verdes. [phone]. www.palosverdes.com.

Don't miss the boat

The following companies offer seasonal whale-watching trips.

Long Beach Sport Fishing, 555 Pico Ave., Long Beach; [phone], www.longbeachsportfishing.com.

Harbor Breeze Cruises, 100 Aquarium Way, Dock No. 2, Long Beach; [phone], www.2seewhales.com.

Island Packers, Channel Islands Harbor, 3600 S. Harbor Blvd., Oxnard; [phone], www.islandpackers.com.

Channel Islands Sportfishing, 4151 S. Victoria Ave., Oxnard; www.ranger85.com.

Redondo Sportfishing, 233 N. Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach; [phone], www.redondosportfishing.com.

22nd Street Landing, Redondo Beach; [phone], www.22ndstreet.com.

Spirit Cruises, Ports o' Call, San Pedro; [phone], www.spiritdinnercruises.com.

- E.H.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, 3 boxes, map

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Jump, jive and WHALE

Family whale-watching excursions make a gigantic splash

(2 -- 3) California sea lions laze on a buoy, while dolphins, above, frolic in the Pacific Ocean.

Bernardo Alps/Staff Photographer

(4) Deckhand Roger Ayala scans the horizon in search of gray whales during a Harbor Breeze cruise.

(5) Passengers aboard a whale-watching cruise out of Long Beach watch a pod of dolphins frolicking in the Pacific Ocean off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

(6 -- color) no caption (whale)

(7 -- color) Gray whales like to see what's going on at the surface.

Box:

(1) Tail spotting from dry land (see text)

(2) Don't miss the boat (see text)

(3) ALL ABOUT WHALES

SOURCES: Whales: ``A Visual Introduction to Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises''; Smithsonian Handbooks: ``Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises; ``Guide to Marine Mammals of the World''; The Nature Company Guides: ``Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises''; Reader's Digest: ``Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises''; American Cetacean Society; Photos.com

Drawings are schematic

Daily News research and graphic by Warren Huskey/Staff Artist

Map:

Coastal Viewing