Passengers on a whale watching tour off the coast of Oxnard in Ventura County this week got an up close look at a pair of gray whales.
The spectators were aboard the Sunfish, a Channel Islands Expeditions boat, when a pair of gray whales approached the ship Monday morning.
“They were very curious and played with us for over 45 minutes, splashing the boat and checking passengers closely,” said Bryson Smith, general manager of Channel Islands Expeditions.
Videos shared with The Times show the whales splashing around the edge of the boat.
Passengers on a Monday morning whale watching tour near Oxnard got a close look at a pair of gray whales.
According to Smith, the whales moved north to Alaska from Baja California, Mexico. The encounter took place in the Santa Barbara Channel, a few miles offshore from Oxnard.
While gray whales are used to approach whale watching boats in the Sea of Cortez, the behavior is rare for the channel.
“It seems that some of the migrating whales this season have been interested in approaching the boat in this way,” Smith said. “It’s hard to say if this is a once in a lifetime, or just a new pattern of behavior that we’re going to see more of.”
The passengers were “blown away” by the experience and some people on the boat were even sprayed by the whales.
“Nonstop smiles, laughter and amazement were on deck all day,” said Smith.
