Whale Tales

You don't need to rent Pinocchio to see the real deal

I picked up the newspaper this morning to see a photo of a whale in the bay near San Francisco's Crissy Field with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. People tell tales of seeing whales in the Bay, and they are often true, of course, but I've never been lucky enough to see one. I came close, though, one day. Very close.

It was a few years back, and I was shooting a story for Bay Area Backroads and OpenRoad.TV on and around Angel Island. By the way, if you haven't been to Angel Island, put this down and go right now! It's a one square mile State Park packed with layers of human history, fascinating and diverse natural environments and drop-dead gorgeous views of land and water in all directions. I urge you to ride the Tiburon Ferry over, and then walk around the island's perimeter trail and, if you can, climb to the top eight-hundred-foot Mt. Livermore. If walking isn't for you, you can bring or rent a bike, or take a guided tour in a tram or on a Segway. Any way you see it, Angel Island is a gem.

But back to my story. It was a lovely spring day and I spent part of it kayaking around Angel Island with Bob Licht and his terrific team from Sea Trek in Sausalito. With reservations, Sea Trek will help you circumnavigate the island too and it's worth every ounce of energy you put into it.

We were about two-thirds of the way through our journey, soaking up the sun and scenery and taping our television show, when we decided that we had all the shots we needed. The hour was late and we had to return to the island to finish a couple of terrestrial photographic tasks before dark. Reluctantly, I climbed out of the kayak, said my good-byes and thanks to Bob and his crew, and my photographer and I and our producer zoomed back to the island in a swift motorboat. No more than two minutes after we left, as Bob later told us, a huge Humpback whale surfaced just feet from the kayaks. Bob was stunned. Up to that point, he'd never personally seen a Humpback in the Bay. The whale stayed near him for a bit and then sounded and disappeared. They had the experience of a lifetime, and we had no video of it. Oh well. Bad timing on our part. And for me, that truly was the big one that got away.

I won't complain, though. I had a delightful day on and around the island and I've had the chance to see whales up close many times in many other parts of the world. But I do hope someday to see what Bob saw or what the photographer got at Crissy Field. It's just a matter of persistence and luck.

Meanwhile, one last tip about Angel Island. It needs your help!!! As a State Park, it is horribly under funded. The non-profit Angel Island Association is raising money to support its central work and to improve amenities and interpretation on the island. Any support you can provide it will be much appreciated. To find out more, here's its website: Angel Island Association.

To hear more about Doug McConnell's adventures  in the west, go to www.OpenRoad.tv.

Posted at 09:16 AM in Doug McConnell’s OpenRoad.TV Tips | Permalink