July 9, 2016 – We arrived early at Newport for the Whale Watching experience. Parking was an adventure, as this was the first parking lot we ever saw that literally stacked the cars double-high. This view is from inside our car as we entered the parking deck. From there, the car attendants took over. . .
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. . . and we walked down the street to buy our $20 tickets for the boat ride, rent binoculars, etc.
There are a lot of fun things to do and buy at Newport Landing / Balboa Island. And lots of boats, both private and commercial.
This looked like a restaurant we would like to eat at … well, maybe next time.
We spent some time watching the ferry go back and forth as we waited for our tour to begin.
Here was our boat – and what a name it had: “AGGRESSOR”
We began our trip with high hopes in spite of the rather cloudy day. Here are some scenes as we headed out to sea.
These fishermen fishing were the last signs of humanity – we were really truly out on the ocean now.
We saw lots of dolphins!! For those who may not know (I didn’t know either), the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise is subtle. The porpoise’s fin is triangular, while the dolphin’s fin is more curved, as you can see below. They also have different teeth, but never mind — we didn’t get close enough to examine their teeth.
Some people just weren’t quite as excited about the dolphins as we were.
Below is a short video …. the dolphins do their jumping near the beginning, after which you’re just watching waves.
Don’t get seasick! I did … right after creating this film.
Oh … and have you noticed? Not a single whale was seen. Oh well …..