Where the Great Whales Blow

Earlier this month, my daughter and I headed to Southern California to spend two days in Newport Beach, specifically the Balboa Peninsula area. Our plans were simple: spend some time on the beach, and take a whale-watching cruise.

Although whale-watching excursions leave from Newport Beach year-round, prime time to see the famous gray whales is the end of December through the end of March. We were visiting a few weeks earlier than optimum, but that didn't deter us from signing up for a 2½-hour cruise. A whale-watching cruise is a more multifaceted experience than its name implies, for it offers the chance to see other ocean wildlife and spend time outdoors on the bounding bosom of the Pacific. That's incentive enough for us desert dwellers.

Our first stop in town was the Balboa Pavilion, not only the town's most recognizable landmark, but a state and national historical landmark as well. Opened in 1906 and built in the late Victorian style, it looks over Balboa Harbor. It was built as a bathhouse and a terminal for the Pacific Electric Red Car, which brought beach visitors here from Los Angeles. In the 1920s, the Pacific Electric had more than 1,000 miles of track in Southern California, but in the '40s, that was drastically reduced, and the last passenger run to Balboa was in the 1950s.

During the big-band era of the 1930s, the pavilion often featured the orchestras of Count Basie, Benny Goodman and others equally famous at the time. There was even a dance named the Balboa, which originated here.

The pavilion now serves as a marine recreation facility, as well as home to one of the more popular dining spots in town, the Harborside Restaurant and Grand Ballroom. We came to the pavilion to get our tickets from Davey's Locker, the company that runs our whale-watching cruise.

After checking in, we still had a half-hour to spare, so we strolled along the harbor's boardwalk at the Balboa Fun Zone, a nice amusement area which has been a big draw for all ages since 1936. It was a wonderfully sunny and warm day, and people were out and about, visiting the arcades, small stores and art galleries, or riding the merry-go-round and Ferris wheel.

The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum also is located here. It boasts a fine collection of model ships and historic photographs. Its newest exhibit, called "Extraordinary People," is a presentation of diverse and iconic heroes of the sea. In October, it opened with a retrospective on local hero Nick Scandone, a Paralympic gold medalist in sailing who lost his life to ALS in January 2009. Starting next month, there also will be a three-part lecture series by local yachtsman Michael Lawler, who will talk about his recent three-year circumnavigation of the globe aboard his sailboat, The Traveler.

Along the boardwalk is also where people were lining up in cars to board the ferry that takes them across the harbor to Balboa Island. It has been in operation since 1919 and is now the only functioning auto ferry in Southern California. Balboa Island, which has about 3,000 residents, also can be accessed by a bridge on the inland side, from the Pacific Coast Highway.

This waterfront was so interesting we regretted having to break away and make our boarding time for the 77-foot Western Pride.

While we certainly hoped to see a whale or two, we also were looking forward to cruising the coastline and enjoying the fresh sea air. Within minutes of leaving the dock, we were settled in our upper deck seats taking in the sights.

It was a glorious sunny day with no wind, and even though it was December, there were people in all sorts of boats leaving port for the afternoon. A few just puttered around the harbor in the elegant, canopied electric Duffy boats. These were invented here in 1970 and have become very popular, probably because they're much quieter, and easier to operate, than conventional boats powered by internal combustion engines. This harbor is home to more than 15,000 vessels ranging from kayaks to luxury yachts.

Once we were out past the man-made rock jetty, we were cruising southwest into the open ocean, on the lookout for leviathans.

Gray whales make the longest migration of any mammal on Earth, with a round trip of about 10,000 miles. In October, they leave the Bering and Chukchi seas between Alaska and Siberia and head to Baja California, Mexico, for mating and calving in the warmer climate. Gray whales are often 40 to 50 feet in length and weigh 30 to 40 tons. Other whales that might be sighted here include fin, humpback, minke and even blue whales, believed to be the largest animals that ever have lived.

We had been whale watching in these waters a couple of times before, but on those occasions embarked from Dana Point, south of here. During both those trips, we were treated to spectacular sights of gray whales, including one breaching. On this outing, we saw no big whales, but throughout 2010, Davey's Locker whale-watching cruises have been very successful. In 2010, their sightings included 418 gray whales, 371 blue whales, 140 fin whales, 33 humpback whales and 50 minke whales.

The highlight of our outing was a pod of common dolphins, which are usually about 7 feet, 6 inches to 8 feet, 6 inches long and can approach 300 pounds on a diet mostly of small fish and squid. What this bunch lacked in individual size, it made for up in numbers and fun. I was told the group was probably a few hundred strong, and it stayed with us for about 45 minutes. Flipper's relatives kept up with the boat as we made our return toward the harbor, putting on quite a nice show riding the waves off our stern and on each side of the bow. Other dolphins you might see in this area are bottlenose, Pacific whitesided and Risso's.

After getting off the boat, we walked over to the Balboa Inn, where we would be staying for the night. The inn was built in 1929 in Spanish-influenced style. Elegance continues within; we had a beautifully appointed second-floor room with cedar closets, Italian marble flooring and a roomy balcony that afforded a view of the Balboa Pier and the ocean. The beach was only about 100 yards from our room. Just outside our room were an ocean-view sundeck and oversize hot tub with comfortable lounge.

The next morning, we got up early and walked the 920-foot Balboa Pier. This wooden pier was built in 1906 as an attraction to lure visitors, and hopefully future landowners, to the peninsula. It seems pretty funny now that they had to entice people to invest here, for homes nowadays do not sell for under a million dollars. Newport Beach recently was named one of the "Top Wealth Centers" in the United States by Portfolio Magazine, which took into account residential real estate values and personal incomes.

Next, the beach itself claimed our attention. We walked just a short ways and stopped to watch a determined young boy, about 10 years old, trying to skimboard. This is a very popular and fast-growing sport, especially with the younger set. Skimboards are shorter and thinner than a traditional surfboard and don't have a skeg or fin. He patiently watched the surf, trying to pick the perfect wave. When he found one to his liking, he would wait for the previous wave to retreat, and when just a thin coat of water remained on the sand, he would run, drop the board on the wet sand and then run onto his board. His momentum would take him and the board into the wave. It was a smooth transition when he did it correctly, and then he would bank off the wave and hope to ride it back in. His success rate wasn't great, but he was clearly enjoying himself.

If you continue south to the end of the beach by the rock jetty, you will find a place called "The Wedge," a famous surfing spot. When conditions are just right, primarily in summer, counter-currents between the jetty and the beach create massive waves. It's worth a look at the footage of "The Wedge" on YouTube if you get a chance.

When it was time to head back to Las Vegas, instead of driving the main road off the peninsula, we splurged and spent $3 on a ferry trip across the harbor to Balboa Island. Houses are packed like sardines on this expensive beachfront, but those houses are maintained with great pride, making it quite a charming place. We also found a quaint business area along Marine Avenue, which was a great place to stroll and check out the small boutiques and restaurants.

While we didn't get to see any big whales on this trip, our outing was otherwise as close to perfect as one can get. Cruising the California coast with one's daughter isn't a bad way to spend any afternoon, and when you get to chase whales from a port so agreeable as Newport Beach, finding none is enough.

Contact Deborah Wall at deborabus@aol.com.