Have A Whale Of A Time In Santa Cruz

The beautiful California city of Santa Cruz has been attracting tourists, surfers, artists and home buyers for many decades. But an altogether different kind of migration has been taking place here for millennia.

Each spring, more than 20,000 gray whales head past Santa Cruz as they make their way to the Bering Sea, off the Alaskan coast, to spend the summer. And along with the whales, come countless whale watchers from all around the globe; here to witness one of the most extraordinary migrations in the animal kingdom.

Having spent the winter months off the Baja Peninsula, where adult female whales will have given birth to their 13 foot long calves, the gray whales move north to the Arctic. As they pass the California coast, they do so at a leisurely pace and allow excellent opportunities for wildlife enthusiasts to observe these massive aquatic mammals. The males and those females without young calves are the first to start their journey, while the new mothers linger in the lagoons off Baja. This means that the spring migration is quite protracted, and whales can be seen from Santa Cruz from February through to early May, with a peak passage in late March. In December these serene mammals return to California's coast, as they make their way once more to the wintering grounds in the south.

Throughout the summer months, in the gray whales' absence, cetacean fans can enjoy the sight of both humpback and blue whales as they feed in the plankton-rich waters off Monterey and Santa Cruz. In the summer of 2010 unprecedented numbers of blue whale, the largest creature to have ever existed on the planet, were attracted to the region following unusually large concentrations of krill in the Monterey Bay area. Added to the excitement of seeing wild whales in the ocean, whale watchers can also thrill at the sight of dolphins, porpoise, sealions and sea otters, as well as the occasional killer whale.

Along with Santa Cruz's fabulous sea, sand and sun appeal, the added attraction of being home to one of the planet's most spectacular natural events makes this wonderful region an even more enticing destination for vacationers, and those looking for a coastal Californian home.

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About the Author:
Everything you need to know about homes in Santa Cruz is right here at MySantaCruzRealEstate.com. Lauren Spencer, Coldwell Banker Realtor will be glad to answer your questions about East Santa Cruz CA real estate.

Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com

Tags: tourism , santa cruz whale watching , whales , grey whales ,

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