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# Whales looking to get lucky this weekend
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/whales-looking-to-get-lucky-this-weekend/
- Published: 2007-02-10T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:02:21.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Environment, Pier, #archive-import

*By IRENE MANAHAN Special to the Daily Press*

SANTA MONICA PIER AQUARIUM From Santa Monica’s shores, chance encounters with shorebirds, dolphins, sea lions and harbor seals aren’t so uncommon year-round. But this month, there just might be something bigger in store.

The annual migration of the Pacific gray whale this Saturday and Sunday will be celebrated during “Whale of a Weekend” at Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

The Pacific gray whale is not an endangered species, but rather a modern “success story.” The gray whale is one of the only animals to ever be removed from the endangered species list, according to Diane Alps, Operations Manager for the National Headquarters of the American Cetacean Society.

Known to scientists by the decidedly clunky “Eschrichtius Robustus”moniker, the gray whale migrates from Alaska to the warm lagoons of Baja California about this time each year. The whales tend to stay in the peninsula for several months in efforts to mate and give birth to their calves before traveling back up to the chilly arctic.

The gray whales’ annual migration habits are one of the longest of all mammals (approximately 10,000 to 14,000 miles round trip), according to the American Cetacean Society. Each year, they begin their southward journey right before the winter, taking between two and three months to arrive at the lagoons.

While there is usually a sizable gap between spotting the sizable whales off the shore, in Southern California, watchers get the benefit of seeing whales travel both north and south along the coast.

“We have opportunities to see them from December all the way until the end of May,” said Alps, alluding to Santa Monica’s close proximity to the Baja Peninsula. While Santa Monicans may have a longer opportunity to catch the whales, it’s difficult to predict just how many whales can be seen and when.

Pacific gray whales don’t travel in packs like other sea mammals, like killer whales or dolphins. They are solitary mammals who usually travel alone, unless it is a mother whale and her calves are sticking close by.

This weekend, there should be “a good number of whales” coming into the bay,” said Alps.“We stand a good chance of seeing anywhere between five and 20 whales.”

Whether the whales decide to put on a show this weekend or not, the second annual “Whale of a Weekend” promises an informative and entertaining experience at the pier and aquarium.

This year, the pier and aquarium will be whale-themed, said Randi Parent, Community Outreach Coordinator at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, complete with whale watching stations at the west end of the pier. Binoculars will be provided.

Children are encouraged to create their own handmade binoculars at the arts and crafts center, where they can also find colorful whale guides and get their faces painted.

There will also be story times, puppet shows, films suitable for all ages and a public lecture about the migrating and feeding habits of whales.

A blubber experiment station in the aquarium teach attendees how the blubber of the whale works. Participants will have the opportunity to try on a layer of blubber to learn the dynamics of how whales keep warm in cold water.

“Whale of a Weekend” will be held Saturday, Feb. 10, and Sunday, Feb. 11, from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Children under 13 are free with adult. Entrance is $2 minimum ($5 suggested donation). Groups of 10 or more require $2 per person.

For more information, call (310) 393- 6149 or visit www.healthebay.org/smpa and www.acsonline.org.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/021007-12_01.jpg)

(Photo: BY IRENE MANAHAN Special to the Daily Press)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 10, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021007.pdf?ref=smdp.com)