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By: Terry Hunefeld
(San Diego)
San Diego has beautiful
beaches, a world-class zoo
and a one-of-a-kind Wild
Animal Park. But what if
you want to see more, do
more, experience more?
I heartily recommend a
fascinating 5 1/2 hour
all-in-one whale, marine
mammal, birds, nature,
history and geology trip
through San Diego Harbor,
out to sea and across the
Mexican border to the
Coronados Islands aboard
the large, comfortable
Bright and Morning Star.
Read the
San Diego Union Tribune
article about this trip.
In addition to whales, you
have an excellent
opportunity to see dolphins,
harbor seals, sea lions,
kelp forests and up to 80
varieties of sea birds and
other marine life — much of
which is just feet away. You
will learn the exciting
history and geology of “los
Islas Coronados” including
pirates, murders, slave
traders, rumrunners,
gambling casinos and Dead
Man's Island. You will see
Black Oystercatchers, Brown
Boobies and one of only two
Elephant Seal rookeries
within 300 miles (these
magnificent two-ton animals
were once thought extinct!)
Warm and personable,
Captain Ben Griffith and
his co-captain Steve greet
you upon boarding the Bright
and Morning Star, a 105 foot
vessel outfitted with
comfortable indoor and
outdoor seating. A seating
area at the top of the boat
offers great views and a
real at sea experience with
fresh ocean breezes, lots of
sunshine, and a wonderful
view.
The show begins as soon as
you depart the dock. Right
from the get-go Captain Ben
explains the sights and
history of the San Diego
harbor, pointing out
landmarks as Bright and
Morning Star glides by them.
Questions you’ll have
answered:
When and how was the
harbor built?
What are all the enormous
ships in the harbor? What do
they do?
Where is the USS Midway
aircraft carrier museum?
Where is Shelter Island
and how was it built?
Where were the water
runways? What function did
they serve?
What were “Jumbos” and
where did they fly?
What really goes on at
North Island Naval Base?
Where are the battleship
docks and what is their
current status?
Does every ship need a
Navy or Coast Guard escort?
Where is the Point Loma
peninsula? What’s so special
about its geography?
Why are there two
lighthouses on Point Loma?
How did those big
“craters” get into the
hillsides of Point Loma?
What do Ballast Point and
the streets of Boston have
in common?
How many research ships
are in port at the NOAA ship
yard?
How does FLIP (NOAA’s
floating sea laboratory)
work? Can we see it?
What is the most-visited
National Monument in the
U.S. after the Statue of
Liberty?
Why didn’t Juan Cabrillo
explore San Diego harbor
after he discovered it?
What happened to Juan
Cabrillo after he departed
San Diego?
What cool things can we
see at the Cabrillo Monument
?
Once you depart the harbor
and head into the Pacific
Ocean, Captain Ben’s focus
shifts to sea life. He and
Steve are expert spotters of
whales and marine mammals
and can identify them by
glimpse of their dorsal
fins, flukes and spouts.
This is where you can get
really up-close and personal
looks at marine mammals,
learning fascinating facts
like:
Why, how far, and when do
Gray Whales migrate?
What do Gray Whales eat?
How can you recognize a
Gray Whale?
What other whales are seen
offshore San Diego?
What species of dolphin
was Flipper?
What makes Common Dolphins
so special?
What is the personality of
a California Sea Lion?
What do they eat?
How are Harbor Seals
completely the opposite of
Sea Lions?
How can you tell the
difference between
White-sided, Common and
Bottlenose Dolphins.
When you spot a pod of
Common Dolphin, you’ll see
up close how they can’t
resist chasing Bright &
Morning Star. They love to
leap and porpoise out of the
water on their way to
intercept you, sometimes
hundreds of them at a time –
a veritable stampede of
dolphins.
Captain Ben stays with the
dolphins as long as possible
– he never tires of them –
that’s what makes him such
an excellent guide in
interpreting the wildlife –
he enjoys it all as much as
you do!
As you cross the border
into Mexico, Captain Ben
fills you in on the rich
history of the four Los
Coronados Islands. In
1602, Spanish cartographers
wrote “Los Cuatros
Coronados” (the Four Crowns)
next to these four islands
only 20 miles south of San
Diego. Over the centuries
voyagers have told tales of
floating coffins, shrouded
bodies and ghastly faces
amid the rocky cliffs; now
the islands bear the names
of Old Stone Face, the
Sarcophagi, Dead Man’s
Island and Corpus Christi.
During the gold rush of
the 1840's, high seas
smugglers used the fog
shrouded islands as a
staging area to hide their
illegal Chinese slaves bound
for mining camps. Pirates
also laid in wait amid these
islands, robbing and
scuttling hundreds of ships.
The most bloodthirsty
pirate was José Arvaez.
He avoided detection for a
decade by slitting every
throat and scuttling every
ship he commandeered.
Captain Ben will take you
into Smuggler’s Cove to see
where Alvarez, and will tell
you the rest of the story
about how a young man bested
Arvaez at his own game.
The captain will take you
into other coves on the four
islands and ensure you get
good close looks at wildlife
with excellent photo
opportunities, often putting
the bow of Bright and
Morning Star as close as 20
feet from the boobies, seals
and sea lions on the rocky
shores and cliff ledges.
While at the Coronados
you will see…..
South Island Nearly
400 hundred years after the
islands' discovery, the
first successful
entrepreneurs arrived:
gambling. During the Great
Depression, California
lumber baron Fred Hamilton
and Tijuana businessman
Mariano Escobeda built a
lavish retreat called
Coronado Islands Yacht Club
inside Smugglers Cove. It
was actually a cabaret
casino frequented by
Hollywood stars wanting to
escape the public eye.
Captain Ben will show you
the remains of this storied
casino.
Then, during the
Prohibition, rumrunners used
the island to smuggle tasty
beverages to the beaches and
homes of Del Mar. On foggy
nights so many rumrunners
zoomed among the islands
that collisions were
frequent and cases of
bootleg booze floated
ashore.
Bomber Rock (Middle
Island) You’ll visit
Sunset Cove, home to Harbor
Seals, California Sea Lions
and enormous, once nearly
extinct, Elephant Seals (the
males can reach 5000
pounds). There are only 2000
Elephant Seals left on the
Pacific Coast – and only two
places to see them – here
and Anos Nuevos near Santa
Cruz, California.
Bird Rock (Middle Rock)
The smallest island, well
known by birders for its
boobies, cormorants and
oystercatchers. We often see
downy booby chicks on the
nests.
Dead Man’s Island
(North Island) Now a
primary reproductive area
for thousands of Brown
Pelicans and Western Gulls.
Things have been fairly
quiet on Los Coronados over
the past few decades. Only a
lighthouse keeper and a
Mexican Navy patrol crew
live on the islands today.
The Islands are now a nature
preserve and stepping ashore
without a special government
permit is strictly
prohibited.
On your return to San
Diego, Captain Ben keeps a
close eye out for yet more
marine mammals, never
ceasing his quest to show
you as much as he can in 5 ½
hours. It’s a trip to
remember!
The Nature Cruise runs 5
days a week through June,
including weekends.
We like to let Captain Ben
know that we support his
trips, so when you’re
boarding, please be sure
to tell him that Terry sent
you! I recommend that
you join him in the
wheelhouse for a few minutes
during the trip to gain even
more insights into the
history, lore and natural
history of this paradise we
call home. Welcome to San
Diego!
Information & Tickets:
(619) 234-4111
or Toll Free:
1-800-44-CRUISE
http://www.sdhe.com/san-diego-nature-cruise.html
Adults: $50.00; Children
(4-12) $40.00;
Seniors/Military: $45.00.
Photo I.D. required for all
adults
Boarding Location:
1050 N. Harbor Drive, San
Diego, CA 92101. Foot of
Broadway, Downtown San
Diego. Park in the Five Star
parking lot across the
street. Don't park at a
meter!
Learn more
about how to dress and
prepare for this seagoing
adventure. Bright and
Morning Star has a full
galley with delicious meals,
snacks and beverages at
reasonable prices. You may
also rent binoculars while
aboard to get better looks
at the wildlife.
Remember your camera!
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