Humpback whales are known to "mug" boats full of wide-eyed passengers, but this week off Dana Point, Calif., a fin whale treated people to the mugging experience.
In footage provided by Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari, a juvenile fin whale can be seen approaching to within feet of the catamaran and staging momentarily immediately beneath the vessel.
(It's important to note that the vessel was stopped and the fin whale approached the boat; not the other way around.)
This is somewhat of a rare treat for Southern California whale watchers.
However, researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger says this type of behavior is becoming more common among fin whales. One theory is that the whales, which have become more common off Southland waters during the past five or six years, are becoming more accustomed to boat traffic.
"It's pretty unusual but we've been seeing more of that in recent years," Schulman-Janiger said. "And when we see it, it tends to be juveniles, maybe because they're more curious."
This is the gray whale migration season and those mammals are either at or en route to nursing and calving waters off Baja California. (This is close to the end of the peak southbound migration period off Southern California.)
Fin whales, which come and go, are merely hanging out where there is food.
Fortunately for whale watchers, fin whales now regard Southern California as a prime feeding area. Below is more footage of the same fin whale, via Dana Wharf Whale Watch:
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