Channel Islands Harbor

The magnificent Pacific Gray Whales will soon arrive off the coast of Oxnard. Daily excursions are offered from Channel Islands Harbor.

Grab a front row seat to view a spectacular phenomenon like no other, as the Pacific Gray Whales migrate through the waters of the Channel Islands National Park.

The Channel Islands Harbor serves as a departure point for visitors to experience the symphony of joyous sounds that echo the ocean floor as thousands of whales migrate to the lagoons in Mexico.

Daily whale watching excursions are provided by Island Packers, Channel Islands Sportfishing Center and Captain Hook's Sportfishing during the 2008 season.

Island Packers, Ventura County's official concessionaire to the Channel Islands National Park, offers 3 ½ hour non-landing narrated trips from December 26 through early April. The fare is $28 for adults, $24 for seniors ages 55 & up, and $18 per child, ages 12 and under. Trips are provided from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Island Packers also offers regular full-day excursions to Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands, which include whale watching along the way. For information and reservations, call 805-382-1779 or visit the website at www.islandpackers.com.

Channel Islands Sportfishing Center in Channel Islands Harbor also offers whale watching excursions from January through March 2007 aboard the vessel, Speed Twin. Two trips will be offered daily from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors (55 and over), and $15 for juniors (12 and under). And, if no whale sightings occur on a particular excursion, Channel Islands Sportfishing Center will provide a Free Pass, good for another outing! For more information, call 805-382-1612 or visit the website at www.speedtwinsportfishing.com.

Twice daily whale watching excursions are offered by Captain Hook's Sportfishing at 9 a.m. and at 1 p.m. Adults are $25, seniors $20, and children 12 & under $15. Information and reservations can be made by calling 805-382-6233.

The annual whale-watching excursions are narrated by naturalists and escort visitors to the pristine waters of the Santa Barbara Channel, the National Marine Sanctuary, and the shoreline of Anacapa Island. Besides whales, visitors may also see dolphins, orcas, sea lions, seals, sharks and a wide variety of bird life. The Pacific Gray Whale population has been making the round trip from Alaska to the warm waters of Mexico for thousands of years to birth new calves and mate for the next season. The average length of the Gray Whale is 36 to 40 feet long with the largest whale nearly fifty feet in length.

Most of the whales travel close to the Channel Islands during the southern migration with the pregnant females leading in late December through January. The mature males and non-pregnant females follow, with the juvenile whales last to head south.The first of the northbound whales appear in mid-February taking the route very close to the coast. The most active part of the northern migration is in March during the mating season. It is not unusual to view whales mating or breaching or to see mothers traveling with their newborn calves.For information on Channel Islands Harbor's 2008 Whale Watching Season, call the Channel Islands Harbor Visitor's Center at 805-985-4852 or visit the website at channelislandsharbor.org.