Ecstatic whale watchers off the Southern California coast were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime sight when a migrating gray whale gave birth to her calf just meters away from their boat. A cellphone and drone captured the birth and the first moments of the calf.
On Jan. 2, Capt. Dave’s Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari was hosting a whale-watching trip off Dana Point, south of Los Angeles when a 35-foot female gray whale and her newborn calf, around 14 feet long, emerged.
(Courtesy of Matt Stumpf/Capt. Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari)
Capt. Dave’s Dana Point Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari posted a video on Facebook, writing: “Yesterday afternoon we celebrated a new year and a new baby whale! … After surfacing, the newborn calf began learning how to swim and bonding with its mother. The female even brought her calf over to our boats as if to show off her offspring and say hello!”…