Rare Visitors Spotted at the La Jolla Children's Pool!!

Looking out over La Jolla Cove on our La Jolla Plunge Bike Tour, we saw a pair of one-year-old elephant seals relaxing on the beach of the children's pool. This is a rare sighting for the area, because these massive pinnipeds prefer to frequent the offshore islands of Baja and Southern California, rather than the North American mainland.

elephant seal pups resting on the sands of the children's pool

Also spotted off children's pool were a small pod of gray whales, all from our bikes!
The gray whales were diving and spouting, possibly feeding in the kelp forrest.

We've seen whales from our hikes, our BIKES, and our kayaks! All in the past few weeks!!
Despite the colder climate in other parts of the country, December is a great time of year to take a tour with us because the sun is shining 99% of the time here in La Jolla Shores!

At Hike Bike Kayak, we are so excited that the whale migrations are picking up, even higher numbers than last year!!

2013-2014 season in red

Spyhopping; the coolest of all the cool Gray Whale behaviors!

Spyhopping

...just one of the Gray Whale surface behaviors you can see from Hike Bike Kayak's Whale Watching Kayak tours. Spyhopping is when a whale treads water to view its surroundings. The Gray Whale will thrust itself vertically above the ocean's surface and use a steady motion of its pectoral fins to maintain an elevated position. This upright position is controlled and slow, and can last from just seconds to minutes at a time if the whale is sufficiently inquisitive about whatever (or whomever) it is viewing. This behavior also allows them to pinpoint known landmarks that help them stay on course. Whether it be a familiar lighthouse on a cliff, or recalled coastal boating docks, the Gray Whale will identify such places to navigate from Alaska to Baja and back, their twelve-thousand mile round trip migration. Here at Hike Bike Kayak, Spyhopping is our favorite Gray Whale behavior because of this very reason. If witnessing a spyhop on our Whale Watching Kayak Tour, you must note that the whale is just as interested as watching you, as you are in watching it!

"Alright, take the pic, take the pic...I've got people to watch and places to see"

                                                                 

A double spyhop just off our local coast!!