2 See Whales

Quick Answer: The best whale watching in the world is spread across a handful of hotspots, each tied to a specific species and season: Baja California Sur, Mexico (gray whales, January–April), Kaikoura, New Zealand (sperm whales, year-round), the Azores, Portugal (blue whales, April–June), Tonga (swimming with humpbacks, July–November), a...

It’s one of the ocean’s great paradoxes: some of the largest animals to ever live survive almost entirely on some of the smallest. Baleen whales — the group that includes blue whales, gray whales, and humpbacks — don’t have a single tooth. Instead, they’ve evolved one of the most efficient feeding systems in nature. Here’s exactly what’s on the ...

Killer whales have earned their reputation as the ocean’s top predator, and a big part of that reputation comes down to speed. Whether they’re chasing down a sea lion or simply showing off for a passing boat, orcas are some of the fastest animals in the ocean. Here’s exactly how fast they can go — and why they rarely swim at top speed.

Ask a room full of kids what the biggest animal on the planet is, and you’ll get everything from elephants to T. rex. The real answer is swimming right off the coast of Long Beach for part of the year: the blue whale. Not only is it the largest whale, it’s the largest animal known to have ever existed — bigger than any dinosaur that ever walked ...

The best binoculars for whale watching have 7x to 10x magnification, a 42mm objective lens, and waterproof/fog-proof construction. Higher magnification isn’t better on a moving boat — it makes the image harder to hold steady. Look for a wide field of view so you can track a surfacing whale quickly, and prioritize waterproofing over r...