I showed up to Duane's web invitation to look for blue whales off Dana Point. Just the two of us showed and launched promptly at the advertised 8:30 a.m. time. We rounded the breakwater and set a heading out to sea. We paddled at a steady pace for 40 minutes only stopping briefly to enjoy a pod of dolphins that swam right past us. They did not give any indication we were even there and swam on all sides of us without altering their paths, some surfacing just feet away.

At three plus miles out we stopped and looked and listened for quite a while. We saw more dolphins but no whales. It was a busy day for dolphins we saw large pods several times always headed up the coast. Then we paddled parallel to the coast northwest until we were out from Three Arch Bay. We looked and listened some more with no results then headed to the Dana Point rock gardens.

We, the mighty hard core sea-kayaking duo, arrived at the Dana Point to risk life and limb to shoot through the rock gardens. As we were mustering our courage and aligning with the entrance, a lone kayak emerged out through the gap in the rocks right in front of us. It was one of those Hobie peddle-powered kayaks driven by a young woman in the typical lounging position, with no helmet, paddle or PFD and daydreaming a thousand miles away. We quickly gathered our shattered egos, damned the torpedoes and took off full speed ahead through the rocks.

We shortly rounded the end of the breakwater to enter the harbor just as a whale-watching catamaran passed by within feet. One of the patrons on board told us they saw two blue whales.

Back home I told my wife we were looking for blue whales today. And she responded that last Monday when she was going to Two Harbors on the Express Boat (with her parents and brother's family to share their vacation) they stopped the boat so everyone could see two blues playing in the water. Oh well, they are out there. Timing is everything. All was not lost, as it was a nice day on the water.

    Dave Houser