Within minutes, however, it turned out those aboard weren’t the only ones doing the observing on Sunday, March 17, Andrea Mills, an educator and naturalist with Island Packers Cruises, told McClatchy News in a March 20 phone interview.
Two gray whales broke from a larger group, slowly approaching the boat, which is part of the concessionaire boat company that escorts visitors from Ventura Harbor to the Channel Islands.
Pausing their trip to Santa Rosa Island, Mills said crew members cut the boat’s engine.
“(The whales) were completely engaged and enthralled with us,” Mills said, “probably as much or more so than we were with them.”
For 20 to 30 minutes, the whales lingered, with one whale even gently nudging the boat.
“They were just floating right below the surface, right below the boat,” Mills said. “And they’d come up alongside and roll.”
Those aboard delighted by the sight, taking turns at the edge of the boat to snap photos and videos of the creatures, according to Mills.
In a video Mills shared, it shows the whales just inches from the boat, bobbing in the water.
“Oh my gosh,” one can be heard saying, as multiple others say “wow.”
But eventually, Mills said those aboard put their phones aside.
“(They) just let it wash over them and just enjoyed watching,” Mills said.
Mills said such a close encounter isn’t typical of the area, adding such behavior is usually only seen “down in the lagoons in Baja.”
In her 30 years working for the company, Mills said she’s never seen anything like it.
“It was definitely unforgettable,” she said, adding the moment was “complete happenstance.”
“I don’t think we could ever recreate the same exact conditions and expect that same kind of response from them,” Mills said.
For Mills, she said what made the encounter even more special is the species’ population comeback, referencing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s recent declaration ending North Pacific Gray Whales’ unusual mortality.
The increased stranding rate, which was caused by changes in the whale’s feeding areas, of the species is no longer being seen, according to NOAA.
“This year was a really good year for seeing healthy whales, seeing lots of babies being born,” Mills said. “It’s just great to see them coming back healthy and connecting with humans again, in a way that might promote a more positive future for all of us.”
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