La Jolla Kayaking Group Has Close Whale Encounter

A kayaking tour group got quite the treat when they encountered a gray whale and baby just off La Jolla.

The tour, led by an Everyday California guide, came across the whales last Saturday and captured impressive video footage, posting it to YouTube.

Whale watching season is in full swing in San Diego, as there have been a number of sightings over the past few weeks.

The season started in late December, though the first gray whale was spotted off Mission Bay on Dec. 2.

Duke Jarboe, the guide who filmed the whales, said he's seen about 50 blue and gray whales from his kayaks, but nothing like the Saturday encounter.

"Our encounter was pretty unique in that the baby came right up to us and hung out with us," he said. "I've ... only seen them do this one other time and that was Blue Whales."

He said they encountered the whales after paddling two miles off the coast. So far this whale-watching season, Everyday California has seen whales on 85 percent of its trips, Jarboe said.

In the Everyday California video, you can see the two whales come right up to the guide’s paddle boat. You can watch it here:

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