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A blue whale exhales at the ocean surface. Photos by Kera Mathes.

7:00am | Summer may be nearing its end, but the season's biggest tourists are coming to town in record numbers.

The very biggest.

Waters just off the coast of Long Beach are teeming with blue whales, the largest animals ever to exist, and the Aquarium of the Pacific and Harbor Breeze Cruises are shuttling camera-wielding people out to see them with daily whale watching trips.

Along with several species of dolphin and other types of whale, blue whales are common in the waters between the Long Beach coast and Santa Catalina Island. But over the last few years, the numbers of blue whales have increased drastically, with this year bringing an unexpected - and unexplained - crowd.

"Since we started doing this, we haven't seen these kinds of numbers," said Kera Mathes, boats coordinator at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The common belief is that the behemoths are attracted to the area due to increased numbers of microscopic krill, which the whales feed on almost exclusively. Once whales find an abundant feeding ground, they can emit low-frequency sound waves that allow them to communicate over hundreds of miles with other whales. That could explain why so many whales have come to join in the feast.

"Blue whales go where the food is," Mathes says. "They've all kind of gotten the cue."

It's all fun and thrills on the boat, but the Aquarium crew is getting work done, too. In a partnership with the Cascadia Research Collection, staff are photographing the dorsal fins and fluke markings of each whale and cataloging them to determine which whales are present. The information could prove invaluable in discovering migration habits, as very little is known about where blue whales decide to travel, or for what reason.

Cruises last more than three hours and lately the crews have been spotting ten or more blue whales over each excursion. Mathes believes the whales will stick around for at least a few more weeks. Click here for information on booking a cruise.

 

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