The History of Whale Watching
 Whale watching in the United States has a relatively short history from an organized or sponsored perspective. Sure, throughout history, not only in United States but throughout the world, people have observed these massive creatures from afar. The majority of people have been able to observe them from the shore as these massive creatures come up for air. Others, while not strictly observing whales, have been able to observe them from sea vessels, often times hunting them.
The First Official Whale Watching Public Spot was in San Diego
As an organized activity, whale watching began in about 1950 out of San Diego. Specifically, there is a spot in San Diego called the Carbillo National Monument which was declared a public place to observe Gray Whales in the wild. This place became very popular and the practice of organized whale watching began. Now that the first land based whale watching platform was established, the next logical question asked by whale watching enthusiasts was, “Can we get closer to these majestic giants?”
Trips Out to Sea to Get Up Close and Personal with Whales
 Out of the same area, an enterprising entrepreneur organized trips out to sea to view whales up close in about 1955. The initial cost was $1 per tour. The $1 fee has substantially changed over the years as the average cost per person now is about $20 to $30. However, the trips today are usually much more comfortable and for longer time periods. In the first year alone, more than 10,000 people took the $1 tours and even more the following year. Soon, the practice of taking people out to sea to look into the eyes of whales spread throughout the western coast of the US and then to the eastern part of the United States.
The First Commercial Whale Watching was in Canada
 Specifically, in 1971, the first real commercial tours began in Canada at the Montreal Zoological Society. The Montreal Zoological Society offered whale watching tours on the St. Lawrence River. People were able to observe both Fin Whales and also Beluga Whales. This program was very popular and soon word began to spread. It did not take long before the practice of commercial whale watching ballooned in the late 1970s, primarily originating out of the New England area. The New England whale watching community grew so robust that more people were whale watching in New England than in California by the mid 1980s. One of the reasons whale watching was so popular in the New England area was because of the populous Humpback Whale and its aerobatic maneuvers. The Humpback whale was a big crowd pleaser when it jumped out of the water, especially when it was a full breach! Additionally, the whale populations in the New England area tended to be close to large cities which made accessibility to paying customers and enthusiasts a snap!
Whale Watching Study by Erich Hoyt
 During the 1980s, whale watching began to grow not only in the US but also throughout the world. A person who was instrumental in further spurring whale watching growth was a man named Erich Hoyt. Erich Hoyt studied whale watching extensively and come up with many notable conclusions which helped the whale watching industry grow. He discovered that whale watching trips were operational in over 87 countries all over the world and that is also generated a large amount of revenue each year, over 1 Billion and growing each subsequent year! According to Hoyt, this was over a 500% increase over the previous decade. Visit Erich Hoyt's website for more information on Erich Hoyt.
Whale Watching and Conservation Today
Today, whale watching is widely popular and is available on virtually every coastal community where there is a whale population. The ships used to whale watch have become larger and more comfortable and people have even begun to whale watch from helicopters and airplanes. The entire whale watching industry has also generated some much needed attention to these giants which have substantially helped with conservation efforts. Because of many of these efforts, commercial whaling throughout the world is, in large part, outlawed. However, there are still many people in the world who hunt whales. One of the greatest things a whale enthusiast can do is support the whale communities by learning about them and spreading the word. Schedule your whale watching cruise today at your nearest location. If you happen to be in the Southern California or Long Beach, California area, you can schedule your whale watching adventure through this website. Wherever you go to watch view these marvels of nature, have a great time!
|
