The benefits of choosing Carefree Boat Club for your seafaring fun continue in ways you just might not have thought of that very first day you signed on the dotted line. You may have thrilled at the opportunity to explore the waters that surround San Diego with a different boat for each adventure, you may have sighed happily at the thought of all the money and trouble you save yourself by not being responsible for maintenance and boat loans, and you may have dreamed of all the places you could visit, riding up to the closest dock and avoiding all the not-so-lovely traffic! All of these things are huge reasons for choosing Carefree Boat Club, but there are so many more benefits, including the opportunity of being able to get a closer look at the marine animals who live in the waters. Our San Diego marine life spotting guide will help you find the places that where the fun is most plentiful, offering a nature education without having to open a book.
The Seals and Sea Lions
The seals and sea lions that make their home in the San Diego area are certainly a fun bunch to watch, barking loudly, playing happily, and occasionally slipping off the land where they are sunbathing and sleeping to swim in the waters for fun and food. They can be found on the beaches and docks all over the region, especially in the La Jolla Cove, especially in the Children’s Pool area, but remember: As friendly and puppy-like as they may seem, it is important that you do not try to pet them. Seals and sea lions can be crotchety when approached, and they have been known to bite! It is best to watch them from afar and be satisfied with the pictures that you take. And just in case you were wondering, the easiest way to tell the difference between seals and sea lions is that sea lions have ears!
Green Sea Turtle
The Green Turtle, sadly, is on the endangered list, so if you happen to come across this second largest turtle during your boating expeditions in San Diego Bay, be sure to look and not touch. They enjoy the shallow waters that are warm and filled with the seaweed that is their main choice for dining, and in spite of their vegetarian lifestyle can get up to four feet long and 350 pounds! The La Jolla Ecological Reserve is a great place to see these endangered beasts of the sea and is also a great snorkeling spot, so bring your gear. The reserve also is home to many species of fish, including the shovel nose guitar fish (you will know it when you see it), star fish, and the beautiful leopard shark. Known by their leopard spotted skin, they are harmless to humans and absolutely gorgeous; snorkeling alongside a leopard shark is one of life’s greatest natural pleasures!
Whale Watching
The blue and the gray whales make the California coastline their part-time home as they migrate from cooler waters. The gray whale’s 10,000-mile migration (yes, you read that right!) brings them to the area from December through April, making them the ultimate “snowfish,” and they can be spotted from the waters at Cabrillo National Monument or Torrey Pines Reserve. The blue whales love to summer in San Diego—can you really blame them? These giant beauties (they are the largest animal on earth) can be spotted off the coast of San Diego. Your Carefree Boat Club rental will come in mighty handy when you are seeking blue whales to watch, as they tend to surface further out in the sea. The gray whales can be seen from land, but what is the fun in that?
The Friendliest Creatures of the Sea
Dolphins are literally the friendliest creatures of the sea, making them our favorite marine animal to come across on our own voyages. Mission Bay is the direction in which you will want to turn your Carefree Boat Club vessel, making haste to get to the warm waters where the pods of four different types of dolphins love to play. You can spot everything from the common dolphin who swim in pods of up to 1000 (Can you imagine coming across a pod of 1000 dolphins in your travels?) to the bottlenose dolphin which is the largest and most common type you will find (the closer you come inshore the less friendly they are). The Pacific white-sided dolphin is a beautiful dolphin that visits from the summer through the fall. Risso’s dolphin is another large dolphin that can be found offshore. All four of the types offer something special that will make your Carefree Boat voyages memorable ones!
Just a Sample of San Diego Wildlife
These marine animals we have listed here are just a small sample of the ones you will discover during your explorations of the seas that surround San Diego! If you haven’t signed up to become a member of the Carefree Boat Club yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up today and be free!
