Recaps Of Our Recent Whale Watching Kayak Tours

We've been seeing gray whales galore on our whale watching kayak tours for the past few weeks! So far this season up until today, 1,005 gray whales have been sighted off the coast of Southern California. This is 990 southbound whales, including approximately 39 calves, and 15 northbound whales already.

This past Saturday marked one of the most exciting whale watching kayak tours at Hike Bike Kayak. We counted numerous whales, with spouting, breaching, and spy hopping in the mix!

Breaching is a common behavior but we don't really know why one gray whale breaches at a particular time. There are a few hypothesis regarding a breach...It can be used as a method for stunning prey. Also, to communicate ("Here I am!"), power demonstration, or perhaps playfulness. Due to gray whales having so much whale lice (3 different species) they can get extremely itchy, so they might breach to dislodge some of those pesky creatures on their backs. Some gray whales stop along their migration to rub on sandy substrates, like off of Zuma beach, CA...which can help rid them of their lice. Sadly, some may breach to try and free themselves from fishing net entanglements. Humpback whales have been seen breaching multiple times in a row after freeing themselves from a net, most likely to test their bodies to make sure they are free, and also for the sheer relief of it.

Here is a close-up video of a breach one year ago today, off the coast here in San Diego!

Imagine being in a kayak and recording this great footage on your go pro or other camera!!

How Do Gray Whales Find Their Way to HBK?

 The migration route of the pacific gray whale is often described as the longest known mammal migration in the animal kingdom and can be easily observed along the California coastline. At Hike Bike Kayak, we track their route and locate grays offshore on our whale watching kayak tour. We educate our tours on every aspect of the migration, providing up close and personal observation of these large mammals in the wild. 

From our last post, we know the reasons why these gentle giants migrate, but how are they able to find their way south to the warm waters of Baja, Mexico?

Marine Biologists speculate that fewer hours of daylight, changes in water temperature, changes in food supply as the northern pack ice increases, or changing hormones involved in breeding, trigger the migration south. Experts believe the whales keep time with an inner biological clock. Whatever the reason, gray whales leave their feeding grounds in late summer and begin the journey down the pacific coast.

The coastline helps them to navigate the long distance. Since gray whales are known to be benthic (bottom) feeders, they have evolved with an orientation toward the seafloor where they scoop up amphipods in their baleen. The deep waters far offshore require more energy to feed, hence traveling closer to shore. 

Gray whales are a very curious mammal. They will thrust themselves vertically above the surface of the water to view their surroundings. This behavior is known as "spyhopping", which 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. 

We've been seeing multiple spouts from our whale watching kayak tours! You don't want to miss out on this memorable experience!!

The Gray Whales are Heading to La Jolla

  This is the time of year at Hike Bike Kayak when we get really amped up in anticipating the gray whale migration through La Jolla. According to the gray whale census, record increases of whale sightings have been documented these past few years. Volunteers of the American Cetacean Society perch along the coastline of Southern California to count whales southbound and northbound, this helps to give us a good idea of our upcoming whale watching season. 2013-2014 whale watching season at Hike Bike Kayak, was the best one yet, with more females and juvenile gray whales spotted than previous years. Our Whale Watching Kayak Tour is the best way to see these gentle giants up close and personal in their natural habitat.

December 1st begins the Cetacean Society's watch. 2013-2014 Season:

Southbound ------------------- 1214
Northbound ------------------- 1741
Total ------------------------ 2955
Calves South ------------------- 14
Calves North ------------------ 286

This gives us an idea of the large numbers to expect for the 2014-2015 season!

The gray whale migration route from Alaska to Baja, California and back again:

On our next post: speculation and facts on how they are able to find their way!

Year Round Sea Cave Kayaking!!

  Despite the Autumn month, we are still basking in sunshine down in La Jolla. Come paddle out with us on a sea caves kayaking tour to remember. At Hike Bike Kayak, we do not overpopulate our tours and prefer to take smaller groups. Why? Well, you can get an up close experience with sea life in their natural habitat. No bumping boats and competing for views of playful sea lions, diving sea birds, and colorful fish. No waiting in a long line of kayaks to enter the sea cave. No missing out on awesome information about our marine eco-systems and the sea creatures that call them home. 

  Our intimate guided kayak tours are not only a great way to get educated about our environment and sea life, but are a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends. 

  Many of our tour-goers enjoy taking in the peacefulness and beauty of the La Jolla Ecological Reserve. Which is La Jolla's infamous underwater park. 

  This is not a seasonal endeavor either. Hike Bike Kayak runs kayak tours all year round! T'is the season for kayaking in La Jolla with HBK!

 

These are great photos from our Trip-Advisor reviewers!!

California Sea Lions Vs. Harbor Seals

     The California Sea Lion and Harbor Seal can both be found inhabiting La Jolla's Ecological Reserve and Children's Pool of La Jolla. They are always a fun sight from our Sea Cave Kayak Tours, where they swim, play, and feed right near our kayaks. These local marine creatures are part of the Pinniped family, which means "fin-footed" or "feather-footed"...The Walrus is also a Pinniped, but they are found further north on the coasts of Alaska, Russia, Canada, and Greenland.
     It can be difficult to distinguish between the Sea Lion and Harbor Seal. As you can see in the photographs below, they appear to be very similar. One might easily mistake a sea lion for a seal from our Plunge Bike Tour, which bikes along the coast to observe the local marine life and catch the scenic views.
Both seals and sea lions are really cute, basking in the sunshine, but there are a few distinct physical differences to notice:

Sea Lion (top) Harbor Seal (Bottom)

Sea lions have small ear flaps, while seals have ear holes. 

Sea lions have longer and large foreflippers, which are hairless. 
Seals have short, hairy foreflippers with claws. 

Sea lions have long smooth whiskers, while seals have crimped or beaded whiskers.

Some of their unique features allow them to move around differently:

Sea lions rotate their hindflippers beneath them to help them walk on land.
Seals move on land by wiggling their bellies and keeping their hindflippers straight.

Sea lions swim underwater using foreflippers like the wings of a bird.
Seals swim by steering with their foreflippers and powering with their hindflippers.


All of this cool information and much more can be learned from any of Hike Bike Kayak's kayaking tours or bike tours.

Hike Bike Kayak, La Jolla- Our favorite Birds of Sea and Shore

We all know La Jolla is known for its' stretch of scenic sandy beaches and salty waves, but if you look up, you are bound to see our local sea birds in flight. These birds of air and sea have adapted to the marine environment in La Jolla, and although they vary in lifestyle, physiology and behavior, they generally live longer, breed later, and have fewer young than other birds.

Most marine bird species nest in colonies and migrate annually, the size of the migration and nest can vary from just a few dozen to millions of birds.

At Hike Bike Kayak, the most widely seen sea bird species are Brandt's Cormorant, and the Brown Pelican.

Brandt's Cormorant (pictured above) is a large, dark water bird especially found in areas with kelp beds such as the La Jolla Ecological Reserve. They specifically inhabit the pacific coast of North America and migrate back and forth from Alaska to the Gulf of California. They nest on the ground or on rocky bluff ledges and mostly feed on fish and crustaceans. The Brandt's Cormorant is especially known for diving below the surface of the water to chase their prey. They usually grab fish in their bill without spearing any. These are very often spotted on our Sea Cave Kayak Tours, as well as our La Jolla Kayak and Snorkel Tours. Occasionally, we've seen them diving for prey from one of our Plunge Bike Tour stops at La Jolla Cove.

Brown Pelicans, like the cormorants, are plunge divers and use their bill and pouch like a net, scooping up fish and water. The water filters out through the sides of their bill. 

They can be seen in the air gliding in a V or straight line formation. This is a very common sighting on any of our tours at Hike Bike Kayak...Our Sea Cave Kayak Tour, our La Jolla Plunge Bike Tour, and through the Winter months, our Whale Watching Kayak Tour. 

The Brown Pelicans are a conservation success story. Over the 20th century they were hunted for their feathers, killed by fisherman, and their nests were raided for eggs. However, nothing was more devastating than the pesticide DDT. The DDT thinned the shells of eggs causing them to be crushed under the parents weight. The Brown Pelicans were listed by the federal government as an endangered species and in 1972 DDT was banned from the US allowing the gradual recovery to begin. In 2009, Brown Pelicans have recovered to the point that they were removed from the federal endangered species list.

*all images from wikipedia

The Magic of Our La Jolla Kelp Forrest

    One of the most highly productive underwater environments that supports marine biodiversity is located  just offshore from La Jolla’s coast. The giant kelp forests here are dominated by two large brown algae species, the giant kelp and the bull kelp.

  The kelp is attached to the rocky sea floor and rises up to form a broad canopy allowing a rich habitat below its’ surface.  Giant kelp thrives in clear water that receives a lot of sunlight, which makes Southern California a perfect environment.

  Kelp is also one of the quickest growing organisms on earth, growing up to 2 feet per day. The mass amount of canopy provides a home for many fish and invertebrates that depend on the productivity of the forest for food, shelter and survival. Harbor seals and sea lions use the mysterious tall forests as a refuge from predators; gray whales have even been spotted within the kelp forest, feeding. Other animals may seek out kelp forests during storms because kelp helps dissipate the energy from waves, thus making a more stable environment.

  On the surface of the ocean, kelp looks like a spread of murky debris, but beneath the surface there exists a magical underwater world populated by many cryptic and fascinating creatures. Some of which include, giant black sea bass, yellow rockfish, moray eels, giant kelpfish, garibaldi, barracuda, yellowtail, bat ray, leopard sharks, and the list goes on. You can see all of this from Hike Bike Kayak‘s La Jolla Cove and Sea Cave Snorkel Tour, andLa Jolla Cove Kayak and Snorkel Tour.