All Good News

'This Is A First For All Of Us': Crowd On Whale-Watching Tour Witnesses Calf Being Born

January 5, 2023

Blood in the water is not usually a good sign. It often means something predatory.

On Monday, however, it meant something wonderful.

Spectators on Capt. Dave's Dolphin & Whale Safari, a Southern California whale-watching cruise, stood in amazement as they watched a gray whale gave birth right in front of them.

Initially the crew and passengers were worried the whale was injured.

The boat's captain, Gary Brighouse, said when everyone realized they were witnessing a birth, the mood turned celebratory.

"It went from horror to pure joy and astonishment," Brighouse told the Orange County Register. "It moved me to my core."

The whale gave birth a few miles off the coast of Dana Point. After surfacing, the newborn calf began learning how to swim and bonding with its mother.

"This is a first for all of us," the tour guide can be heard saying in the video. In 25 years of business, they have never witnessed a whale give birth.

"As far as I know, no one has filmed a gray whale giving birth or even seen it before,” Dave Anderson, the owner of Capt. Dave's, told the Register.

Watch the video below.