See a Blue Whale

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Does your bucket list include seeing the world's largest animal? At 30 metres (98 ft) in length and 180 metric tons (200 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed. Blue whales were abundant in nearly all the oceans on Earth until the beginning of the twentieth century. For over a century, they were hunted almost to extinction by whalers until protected by the international community in 1966. A 2002 report estimated there were 5,000 to 12,000 blue whales worldwide, located in at least five groups. The largest known concentration, consisting of about 2,800 individuals, is the northeast Pacific population of the northern blue whale (B. m. musculus) subspecies that ranges from Alaska to Costa Rica, but is most commonly seen from California in summer. Blue whales can also be seen off Southern California, starting as early as March and April, with the peak between July and September. One of the places in the world to see blue whales is San Diego, California. In 2011 San Diego hosted five pods of whales during the summer and fall (estimated to be around 50 blues). A few thousand also pass by San Diego on the way to other waters. In the North Atlantic, two stocks of B. m. musculus are recognised. The first is found off Greenland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. This group is estimated to total about 500. The second, more easterly group is spotted from the Azores in spring to Iceland in July and August; it is presumed the whales follow the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the two volcanic islands. In the Southern Hemisphere, there appear to be two distinct subspecies, B. m. intermedia, the Antarctic blue whale. The most recent surveys (midpoint 1998) provided an estimate of 2,280 blue whales in the Antarctic. Blue whales arrive in the Sea of Cortez, every year in mid January and stay until mid March. Since there are not as many blues out there you are not guaranteed to see on on any specific trip.

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