Complete Guide to Blue Whale Watching

Booking a whale watching tour in an attempt to view blue whales can be a thrilling experience. In this guide to viewing blue whales, we'll cover everything you need to know about where to see blue whales, what blue whales eat, how blue whales behave and more.
First, let's get started by introducing blue whales and the basics you'll want to know before you go on a blue whale boat tour.

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera Musculus)

Blue whales are quite possibly the largest animals to ever live on the planet Earth, land or sea. They can reach lengths of over 100 feet although typically they range from 75-80 feet in the Northern Hemisphere. Blue whales weigh anywhere between 290,000 to 330,000 pounds!

Females are generally larger than males due to the need for extra weight for the birthing process and caring for the calf. Given the name "blue" whale, these whales have an aqua blue hue when surfacing that seems to glow beneath the surface. They have a bluish grey top with a yellow or green colored belly from diatom growth (planktonic algae), which gave them the name “sulfur bottom whale” to early whalers.

Blue whales are fast travelers and have a smooth appearance with no barnacles or parasites, unlike other whale species like gray whales or humpback whales. Blue whales are one of a group of whales called "rorquals" which are classified by the presence of a dorsal fin and pleated throat grooves.

Blue whales have a very small dorsal fin located about ¾ of the way back on their body and 60-90 throat grooves. A blue whale spout or blow can be seen for miles as it reaches nearly 20 feet into the air like a giant geyser.

Blue whales can live for up to about 90 years.

Next, let's cover where to go to see blue whales.

Where to See Blue Whales

Blue whales are found in every ocean all over the world. However, one of the largest populations can be seen from May-September off the California coast. Newport Beach in Southern California is an example of a town popular for those seeking to enjoy blue whale watching. Learn more about our Southern California whale tours and prices if you wish to visit the region for whale watching.

There are plenty of other places to see blue whales outside of California, too. There are around 2,000 blue whales in the Eastern Pacific population that range in a migration from Alaska to Costa Rica. They feed throughout their range exclusively on krill. In the summer months, when warmer waters bring high productivity to our coast, the krill are found in high density and the blue whales feast on them until the water temperature starts to chill and they continue south towards Costa Rica.

The main locations where travelers go to view blue whales include:

• California from May to September, as far north as Monterey Bay and as far south as San Diego
• Mexico and Costa Rica in the winter months and into spring
• Chile
• Sri Lanka
• Maldives
• Southern Australia

Now that you understand where you can go to see blue whales, let's next explain what to expect when you finally spot blue whales and what/how blue whales eat.

Blue Whale Behavior, Mating and Breeding

Behavior

Blue whales are baleen whales which feed extensively on krill. Baleen is a brush-like structure on the inside of their mouth, like modified teeth, used to trap krill inside their mouth like a sieve. The baleen is made of keratin, the same protein that makes our hair and fingernails.

When blue whales feed they take giant mouthfuls of water and krill by opening their throats like huge balloons and pushing the water out though the baleen with their tongue. With this eating method a single blue whale can consume up to 40 million krill or 4 tons in one day!

This is also why it is uncommon to see multiple blue whales in the same area - there is simply just not enough food to go around so they spread themselves out. It is common to see blue whales in pairs, which are most likely mother and calf couples.

Blue whales are extremely fast and can reach speeds of 30 mph if frightened, but generally keep a speed of around 12 mph when cruising. Because of their enormous weight, they are rarely seen breaching or jumping. But a blue whale can be seen sounding or diving, leaving a spectacular view of their fluke and a smooth spot where they dove called a foot print.

Mating and Breeding

It is thought that the blue whales migrate to the warmer waters off Costa Rica to mate and give birth. Blue whales give birth every 2-3 years and have a gestation period for about a year. When the babies are born they already weigh 500 lbs and have a length of nearly 20 feet.

Blue whale calves nurse on the mother’s milk for 7-8 months, consuming 100 gallons of super rich and fatty milk a day and gaining 200 lbs a day! Blue whale babies grow fast, at about 1 ½ inches every day.

Blue whales reach their sexual maturity around 6-10 years, or at a length of 74 feet for males and 79 feet for females.

Finally, let's wrap up our blue whale guide by explaining how rare blue whales are and why they are an endangered species.

Are Blue Whales an Endangered Species?

Today, blue whales are considered an endangered species. Due to their size and value, they were once hunted to near extinction. A 90 foot blue whale would produce 120 barrels of whale oil in the early 1900’s and were killed by the thousands for this oil.

The hunting peaked in 1931 when nearly 30,000 whales were killed in one season. Pre-whaling records estimated the world population to have been over 350,000 but the whaling effort killed off 99%.

With the ban on hunting by the International Whaling Commission in 1966 and the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, the population has been able to stabilize and maybe increase slowly in some areas. It is estimated that the current populations are around 5-10,000 in the southern hemisphere and only 3-4,000 in the northern hemisphere.

Although whaling has stopped, blue whale populations are still presently threatened by global climate change, chemical pollutants like PCBs and heavy metals. Human interference from abandoned fishing nets, plastic trash and sound pollution may increase their chances of boat strikes or drowning.

Other Common Blue Whale FAQs

Here are answers to a few questions that people commonly have about blue whales.

Do blue whales have predators?

Yes, blue whales actually do have predators. Orcas (killer whales) are the most common and natural blue whale predator. In some instances, sharks can be predators of blue whales, too.

Do blue whales have teeth?

No, blue whales do not have teeth. Instead of teeth, blue whales use "baleen plates". Blue whales swim with their mouths open and use their baleen plates to filter out food like fish and krill.

Are blue whales carnivores?

Yes, blue whales are considered carnivores. They do not use sharp teeth to capture and eat their prey, instead relying on baleen plates. Blue whales eat other living creatures like fish and crustaceans.

Blue Whale Guide Overview

Blue whales are magnificent marine animals. To watch blue whales in their natural environment is a privilege not many get to experience. Whale watching tours, like the Southern California whale tours by Newport Landing, offer people the opportunity to see a wild variety of marine life including blue whales, gray whales, humpback whales, sea lions, killer whales, pilot whales and much more.

 

 

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