Thursday, October 13, 2016

Wildlife and coastal cruise

Wildlife & Coastal Cruise

Tour Overview from Princess Brochure

Take to the open sea and discover the breathtaking wildlife and rugged beauty of Catalina Island's coastline during this two-hour, narrated excursion aboard a large power boat. Your ocean adventure begins in Avalon Harbor where you will be escorted aboard and receive a safety orientation before setting out on the glittering blue waters of the Pacific.

Bask in the warm sunlight and take in the refreshing ocean breeze as you cruise 10 miles up the unspoiled northern coast of Catalina to view the spectacular array of wildlife and marine creatures that make Catalina unique.

As you journey, appreciating the magnificence of the beautiful coastline that beckons you, your knowledgeable captain will explain the history and geology of the island. You'll learn about the Tongva tribe that fished once the rich waters here and about Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who, sailing for Spain, was the first European to set foot on the island. During the next 300 years, the island hosted many visitors including Russian otter hunters, Yankee smugglers, itinerant fishermen and even the Chicago Cubs baseball team.

Today, Catalina is not only a welcoming resort, it is an unspoiled habitat for countless species of animals. And that's just what you'll see as you make your way past Long Point, Italian Gardens, Goat Harbor and Rippers Cove. The waters in these areas are home to Pacific harbor seals that prefer to stay close to shore in sub-tidal and intertidal zones and to California Sea Lions, that are so intelligent that they have been used by the U.S. Navy for certain military operations!

Look to the skies for sightings of majestic bald eagles and red tail hawks that sail the wind currents in search of prey.

Then it's out to open sea in search of dolphins! If a dolphin pod is discovered, the captain will position the raft in the middle of the pod, allowing you to have an eye-to-eye encounter with these beautiful, intelligent and playful marine mammals. In fact, they have been known to frolic in the wake of boats, serving as guides through the crystalline waters.

If the timing is right (that is, from February to March), you may even have the great good fortune of spotting one of the thousands of gray whales that travel this corridor during their migration from their breeding grounds in the warm waters off Baja to their feeding grounds in Alaska. So be sure to have your cameras at the ready to capture the exhilarating majesty of the ocean's largest mammals as they breech and spout, sending a glistening spray of water skyward.

As you make your way back to Avalon Harbor at the end of your journey, contemplate the natural wonders you have seen during your eco-adventure in the waters off of Catalina Island.

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