Blue Whales in Redondo Beach - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Hunter (The 80's Man) · 10-14-2010, 08:17 AM

Wow, really cool pictures and narrative. Just got finished viewing it all and daydreaming with my wife and overly-priced-freshly-ground-pumpkin-spice morning coffee and Eggos. While looking on the screen, still dreaming, a fight in the living room over a Hungry Hungry Hippo game erupted with the kids.... ah, back to reality... which kinda' reminds us of an 80's song... BaCK to LIFe... bAcK to RE-AL-iTy

Amazing experience, truley once in a lifetime... I can hear the old-man-in-a-rocking-chair stories now... "AND THEN, THE WHALE came FLYYYYYYYING out of the water... RIGHT OVER MY KAYAK! PADDLE HELD HIGH IN THE AIR, the whale RAISED his tail to the surface gesturing back to ME... I snapped a picture, SEE?!?! "

Thanks for sharing,

Rob

JoeBeck · 10-14-2010, 08:45 AM

Great Pictures!! Brave paddle boarder. We saw a bunch of blue wales on our way out to Catalina middle of last month. I think they were in the same area. Nothing like being close to them on a kayak though.

Seaangler · 10-14-2010, 09:06 AM

Wow......proves how great our coast is! Thanks for sharing. That paddle boarder had a birds eye view.

mtnbykr2 · 10-20-2010, 04:23 PM

Well I need to say those those shots tell the story that you will have for a life time, I probably would have been a bit nervous that close but hey, we are in their living room so if they wantto come and say hi, well that's their deal, thanks for sharing some awesome, possibly once in a life time pictures, well done...b

hbdivegirl · 10-21-2010, 08:09 PM

I'm the one that likes red so much.

Here's the deal: I wouldn't have been there, in that screaming red kayak, 4 miles off shore, with my most amazing and talented kayaking buddy, if it weren't for all of you here on BWE.

Seriously.

I'm at 36,000 feet, winging towards Seattle for 3 days of diving in Puget Sound, looking at these pictures posted on BWE.... thinking, "Not without you guys."

I was paddling a barge of a 'yak...just a horrible thing... until I paddled with Ken at LJS and experienced the worst boat envy in history.
Ken's boat: good (a real kayak.)
Chica's boat: bad. awful. hideous. slow. noisy.

The hunt for a better boat began... and Ken tipped me off to BWE immediately. "I know you don't fish, but there is NO WHERE on the web where you will learn more, from the real FHC kayakers of the west coast, than you will learn on BWE. These guys are the real deal."

So I went to school on what you all have to share.

PFD always on.
Hand-held bilge pump within reach.
Spare paddle packed at all times.
Marine radio, clipped to my PFD.. and know how to use it.
Vortex whistle attached to my PFD.
Real paddles.
Compass.
Water-proof lights in the dry-bag in case I'm stuck after dark.
Light-weight paddle leash, but never attached in the surf zone.

Ken and I talked about this stuff constantly.
You all do the most extraordinary stuff with simple gear and hard-won knowledge.
And you teach each other what each of you has learned.

So I changed nearly everything.
New boat, new paddles, PFD that fits, truckload of new skills, blah blah blah.

Suddenly I was heading farther off shore with realistic confidence.
Radio checks with the Harbor Master.
A plan in my head for fit-hitting-the-shan moments, if they should happen.

And I began having more fun than I could have imagined on top of the water.

So... when the Blue Whales appeared off shore, I was ready.
I saw the spouts from shore as I was running stairs, and I turned on a dime and raced home.

39 minutes later I was launching the 'yak, with all the safety gear assembled and stowed on autopilot, and I was blasting out of the harbor as fast as the Werners could shoot me.

Two days later, Ken and I bolted for the horizon and he shot all the amazing pictures posted here.

I would never have been able to be there without all that I learned here on BWE from all you generous FHC paddlers... and my amazing buddy.

"Thanks" doesn't begin to cover it.

~~~~~~
Claudette

Aaron&Julie · 10-22-2010, 04:30 PM

Awesome, simply awesome! Wonderful pics and write-ups.

We finally saw our first blues this year, but that was on a tuna trip at least 50 miles offshore, and at a distance. Not quite the same as up close on a yak, which we've done with greys. A big difference indeed.

tptrench · 10-23-2010, 12:29 PM

Jeeez Girl, that was an awesome adventure! I think you could submit this stuff to National Geographic. Even your writing is superb! Thank you for sharing.

wiredantz · 10-27-2011, 08:49 PM

GREAT PICTURES !~!!

jorluivil · 10-27-2011, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredantz

GREAT PICTURES !~!!

yeah, great pictures from like a year ago

Frank, again.....you must be extremely bored.

howie73x · 10-28-2011, 02:41 AM

any info on the type of bait, rigs involved?

lamb · 10-28-2011, 07:15 AM

thanks for the bump on this one!

The best pics of anything floating on the water with the whales I've ever seen

steveooo · 10-28-2011, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamb

The pics of anything flowating on the water with the whales I've ever seen

Someone woke up a little sleepy this morning!

William Novotny · 10-28-2011, 06:39 PM

I am truely awestruck by those amazing photos. Thank you very much for painting such a vivid narative to go with them. Makes me want to go out with my nikon now. Where could I get a waterproof case for my D50?

SquidJig · 11-01-2011, 03:26 PM

Amazing post! Puts my whale photos and experiences, great as they are, to shame.

I haven't heard much about whales lately so I thought they had moved on. So I was amazed to see a whale watching company's whale/dolphin counts for the last several days. Yesterday's tour counted 63 fin whales plus lots of other species of whales and dolphins. They've been seeing blues, minkes, fins and humpbacks plus up to thousands of dolphins, including Rizzos. This was in Newport Beach, but I bet other tour operators in Southern California are in range of this super pod.

Maybe we SD fishermen will get lucky and this super pod will float down to LJ.

mark kleiter · 06-29-2012, 07:41 PM

Crazy experience! Those are giants of the sea. Awesome!

10-14-2010, 08:17 AM	#1
Hunter (The 80's Man) Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Riverside Posts: 243	Wow, really cool pictures and narrative. Just got finished viewing it all and daydreaming with my wife and overly-priced-freshly-ground-pumpkin-spice morning coffee and Eggos. While looking on the screen, still dreaming, a fight in the living room over a Hungry Hungry Hippo game erupted with the kids.... ah, back to reality... which kinda' reminds us of an 80's song... BaCK to LIFe... bAcK to RE-AL-iTy Amazing experience, truley once in a lifetime... I can hear the old-man-in-a-rocking-chair stories now... "AND THEN, THE WHALE came FLYYYYYYYING out of the water... RIGHT OVER MY KAYAK! PADDLE HELD HIGH IN THE AIR, the whale RAISED his tail to the surface gesturing back to ME... I snapped a picture, SEE?!?! " Thanks for sharing, Rob __________________ What's in YOUR hatch?

10-14-2010, 09:06 AM	#3
Seaangler Junior Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 11	Great photos! Wow......proves how great our coast is! Thanks for sharing. That paddle boarder had a birds eye view.

10-21-2010, 08:09 PM	#5
hbdivegirl Dive or Paddle :-) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 2	The view from the waterline. I'm the one that likes red so much. Here's the deal: I wouldn't have been there, in that screaming red kayak, 4 miles off shore, with my most amazing and talented kayaking buddy, if it weren't for all of you here on BWE. Seriously. I'm at 36,000 feet, winging towards Seattle for 3 days of diving in Puget Sound, looking at these pictures posted on BWE.... thinking, "Not without you guys." I was paddling a barge of a 'yak...just a horrible thing... until I paddled with Ken at LJS and experienced the worst boat envy in history. Ken's boat: good (a real kayak.) Chica's boat: bad. awful. hideous. slow. noisy. The hunt for a better boat began... and Ken tipped me off to BWE immediately. "I know you don't fish, but there is NO WHERE on the web where you will learn more, from the real FHC kayakers of the west coast, than you will learn on BWE. These guys are the real deal." So I went to school on what you all have to share. PFD always on. Hand-held bilge pump within reach. Spare paddle packed at all times. Marine radio, clipped to my PFD.. and know how to use it. Vortex whistle attached to my PFD. Real paddles. Compass. Water-proof lights in the dry-bag in case I'm stuck after dark. Light-weight paddle leash, but never attached in the surf zone. Ken and I talked about this stuff constantly. You all do the most extraordinary stuff with simple gear and hard-won knowledge. And you teach each other what each of you has learned. So I changed nearly everything. New boat, new paddles, PFD that fits, truckload of new skills, blah blah blah. Suddenly I was heading farther off shore with realistic confidence. Radio checks with the Harbor Master. A plan in my head for fit-hitting-the-shan moments, if they should happen. And I began having more fun than I could have imagined on top of the water. So... when the Blue Whales appeared off shore, I was ready. I saw the spouts from shore as I was running stairs, and I turned on a dime and raced home. 39 minutes later I was launching the 'yak, with all the safety gear assembled and stowed on autopilot, and I was blasting out of the harbor as fast as the Werners could shoot me. Two days later, Ken and I bolted for the horizon and he shot all the amazing pictures posted here. I would never have been able to be there without all that I learned here on BWE from all you generous FHC paddlers... and my amazing buddy. "Thanks" doesn't begin to cover it. ~~~~~~ Claudette

10-22-2010, 04:30 PM	#6
Aaron&Julie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Valley Posts: 1,400	Awesome, simply awesome! Wonderful pics and write-ups. We finally saw our first blues this year, but that was on a tuna trip at least 50 miles offshore, and at a distance. Not quite the same as up close on a yak, which we've done with greys. A big difference indeed. __________________ "Never say die"

10-27-2011, 08:49 PM	#8
wiredantz Currently @ MLO Territory Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Under the Shadow Posts: 2,290	GREAT PICTURES !~!! __________________ Team: Disbanded You only have one chance in this life...make the right decision(s)...so you don't regret it

10-14-2010, 08:45 AM	#2
JoeBeck Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 370	Great Pictures!! Brave paddle boarder. We saw a bunch of blue wales on our way out to Catalina middle of last month. I think they were in the same area. Nothing like being close to them on a kayak though.

10-20-2010, 04:23 PM	#4
mtnbykr2 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: newbury park ca Posts: 2,323	Well I need to say those those shots tell the story that you will have for a life time, I probably would have been a bit nervous that close but hey, we are in their living room so if they wantto come and say hi, well that's their deal, thanks for sharing some awesome, possibly once in a life time pictures, well done...b

10-23-2010, 12:29 PM	#7
tptrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: pt loma Posts: 101	Jeeez Girl, that was an awesome adventure! I think you could submit this stuff to National Geographic. Even your writing is superb! Thank you for sharing.

10-28-2011, 02:41 AM	#10
howie73x Junior Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 4	any info on the type of bait, rigs involved?

10-28-2011, 07:15 AM	#11
lamb Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,568	thanks for the bump on this one! The best pics of anything floating on the water with the whales I've ever seen __________________ [------------------------ <)))< ....b-a-a-a-a Last edited by lamb; 11-02-2011 at 08:07 AM.

10-28-2011, 06:39 PM	#13
William Novotny The carpetbagger Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: tha newps Posts: 1,474	I am truely awestruck by those amazing photos. Thank you very much for painting such a vivid narative to go with them. Makes me want to go out with my nikon now. Where could I get a waterproof case for my D50? __________________ "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." http://www.badinfluencetattoo.com/gallery.php?artist=21

11-01-2011, 03:26 PM	#14
SquidJig Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 76	Amazing post! Puts my whale photos and experiences, great as they are, to shame. I haven't heard much about whales lately so I thought they had moved on. So I was amazed to see a whale watching company's whale/dolphin counts for the last several days. Yesterday's tour counted 63 fin whales plus lots of other species of whales and dolphins. They've been seeing blues, minkes, fins and humpbacks plus up to thousands of dolphins, including Rizzos. This was in Newport Beach, but I bet other tour operators in Southern California are in range of this super pod. Maybe we SD fishermen will get lucky and this super pod will float down to LJ.

06-29-2012, 07:41 PM	#15
mark kleiter Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Poway Posts: 62	Crazy experience! Those are giants of the sea. Awesome!