By Ian Hanigan
Students from Brywood Elementary School caught a rare and up-close glimpse of so-called False Killer Whales this week during what can only be described as a wildly successful whale-watching tour.
The video images above were captured between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 12, as about 30 of the large oceanic mammals greeted the Ocean Institute’s RV Sea Explorer.
“I have been cruising in this area for many years,” Sea Explorer Captain Mike Bursk said, “and I have never seen this species of cetacean off of our coast. They prefer deep temperate to tropical waters. We were all very excited about this find.”
Sponsored by the Ocean Institute’s Adopt-a-Class program, the expedition had taken Brywood students just a few miles off the coast of Dana Point. Needless to say, they had plenty to talk about when they returned.
“I didn’t get to go but the students came back and they were so excited,” Principal Astrid Ramirez told the NewsFlash.
The Ocean Institute offers ocean science programs for children, as well as whale-watching cruises to the general public on weekends.
Read more here: Irvine Unified News
