Looking for a Southern California eco-tour? 2 different ways to see dolphins, whales and other ocean creatures

When it comes to tourism, Southern California has no shortage of must-visit places to check off the list.

Disneyland, Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm are obvious options for thrills. But how about trying a different kind of experience – one with a sea-salt twist?

Eco-tours have surged along the coastline in the past decade, thanks to an increase in wildlife off local waters in recent years.

Decades ago, whale watching tours happened mostly in winter, a way to use fishing charters that would otherwise sit stagnant at the docks during the off-season.

But now, after humpbacks, blue whales, fin whales and more sea creatures have found a local food source, there’s a vast assortment of year-round operations that venture out to the ocean — from bigger boats that can hold upwards of 100 people at a time for a cheap price, to fast inflatable boats that race across the water or a newly-launched marine-focused helicopter charter that provides a tour of the ocean from the skies.

Here’s a glimpse of what it’s like on two unique eco-tours off the Southern California coast:

A tour from the skies

From the helicopter’s cabin, Diane Alps points down at what looks like a paper plate floating on the ocean’s surface.  The pilot lowers the aircraft so passengers aboard can get a better glimpse.

The “plate” is actually a Mola mola, also called a sunfish.

“They eat jellyfish … birds come and pluck the parasites off them,” Alps, her whale-tail earrings dangling, explains via a microphone that feeds into passengers’ headsets. “They are the laziest fish in the world, they just lay there.”

Alps is the on-board naturalist for a new Heli-Marine Expedition started recently by IEX Helicopters, which runs charters out of San Pedro, Long Beach, Burbank and Orange County. While most of their business comes from quick trips to Catalina or Las Vegas, the half-hour marine charters over the Southern California ocean are a new way to see the region’s landscape.

When the idea for a new helicopter marine expedition tour came up, Alps jumped on board as the naturalist. For nearly two decades, Alps led the training program for naturalists at the  Cabrillo Aquarium in San Pedro and is well known in the Southern California whale community.

“It’s a lot better in a helicopter, it allows you to hover and circle around the animals,” she said.

In the handful of charters they’ve had since they launched a month ago, dolphins have made regular appearances, as well as other creatures like blue whales and fin whales, the world’s largest marine mammals.

On a recent day, boats in a huddle in the distance hint of nearby sea life. The helicopter zooms toward the action and hovers as hundreds of dolphins jumped and splashed around the boats.

“Wow, look at the big leap there,” Alps said as one dolphin propelled to the sky.

For passenger Mark Girardeau, a local photographer who frequents the Newport Coastal Adventure boat tours to document wildlife, the view is a new perspective.

“From a boat, you see and hear the dolphins every time they breathe. But you only see them when they are at the surface,” he said. “To be in the helicopter, you see everything.”

The helicopter leaves the dolphins, flying at 143 miles per hour toward oil rigs off Huntington Beach and Long Beach — hotspots for marine activity.

“You can cover a lot of ground, um, water,” Alps said of the helicopter.

The chopper hovers over a mussel farm, where buoys mark the millions of mussels growing to one day end up on seafood lovers’ plates.

Alps is not only excited to give marine enthusiasts an aerial view of nature, but also to collect data for research purposes. She plans on taking images of kelp forests and documenting dolphin and whale populations.

“If we go to the same areas regularly, we can document what we’re seeing there, it gives a really good research perspective,” she said.

IEX Heli-Marine Expedition: Cost for a 30-minute ride is $370 per person from Long Beach and Avalon, $430 for Orange County departures. More info: iexhelicopters.com/tours

A thrill ride on a boat

Bodies bounce up and down in the seats as the inflatable boat zips across the sea.

Some passengers grip tightly onto metal handles for fear of being tossed into the vast ocean. Others put their hands in the air as they would on an amusement ride.  Screams fill the salty air.

“We hear it from the kids, this is better than Disneyland,” said captain Ryan Lawler, who created Newport Coastal Adventure about four years ago. “You might think adults would say that, but kids love the boat ride. They love going fast, they love exploring.”

Lawler just unveiled his new 36-foot-long, 15-passenger inflatable boat.  It has more than double the capacity of his other three boats that hold six people. This new vessel can hit 30 miles per hour, and is able to get halfway to Catalina during the two-hour excursion.

“I always say ‘it’s like our own wilderness out here’,” Lawler said. “I don’t feel like I can ever get away from the hustle and bustle of society until I leave the harbor.”

For weeks, blue whales have been showing up daily for a krill feast. A humpback makes an appearance on the previous night. That morning, Lawler spots a minke whale.

But the stars of this particular tour are dolphins — a massive pod swimming out from Newport Harbor.

The boat cuts through the sea with ease, water spraying from the side and the wind whipping passengers’ hair. Some riders try and take selfies, gripping their phones tightly so they aren’t lost to the sea.

‘It’s a thrill ride,” Lawler shouts over the roar of the engine.

The passengers, all from out of state, spot dolphins in the distance and start to point.

“Southern California is really the dolphin capital of the United States,” Lawler said.

The smaller inflatable boats allow passengers to get close enough to the water to dip their hands in as the dolphins frolic nearby.

“(It) makes interacting with the animals that much better,” Lawler said.

A naturist on board explains the differences between the various dolphins spotted on this particular day, and offers some trivia, like the fact that killer whales are actually a species of dolphin.

The group gets excited on the way back into the harbor as the boat circles massive sea lions lazily hanging out on a buoy.

“The people love them,” Lawler said. “This is the part of the trip where people’s cameras come out the most.”

Newport Coastal Adventure: Cost for a two-hour excursion is $66.50 for adults, $56.50 for under 15. More info: newportcoastaladventure.com