On ancient maps tracing what is now the coastline of California, the edge of the Pacific Ocean closest to land is referred to as the Whale Road. In 1851, a small group of Chinese settled at what is now Whaler’s Cove at Point Lobos, only five minutes south of Carmel. Over the next 20 years they built about 10 houses, one of which still stands and houses the Whalers Cabin Museum. An archeological dig in 1986 of the floor of the cabin revealed that six whale vertebrae provided support for the floor joists. They remain for that purpose to this day.
Portuguese whalers came to the cove in 1897 to operate, with the Japanese, the Japanese Whaling Company but were eventually ousted by A.M. Allan who purchased Point Lobos for a business investment and residence. Most prevalent of the whale species in this area — which include the humpback and the killer whale, or Orca — gray whale travels between feeding grounds in Alaska’s Bering Straits and the Laguna San Ysidro or Scammon’s Lagoon, in Baja, Calif., where they breed and give birth to their calves.
A gray whale may travel 10,000 miles, traveling south along our coast during the fall and winter and heading back north in the late winter and spring, only a few miles from land at all times.
At the brink of extinction twice in less than 150 years, their proximity to the shoreline has been both catastrophic and the saving of their species. Hunters picked them off in the thousands, almost as though fishing in a barrel. However, as the population curve waned and then became once more abundant, their relative accessibility allowed whale biologists and whale watchers the chance to observe their lives first hand. They are now a protected species and have recently been taken off the endangered list. In 1854, the first “shore” whaling station was called the Monterey Whaling Company. Shore whaling was the stuff of high adrenalin adventure. Six men in 28-foot boats powered simply by sail and oar chased an animal that weighed 35 tons until the harpoons they had ruthlessly employed in the hunt had exhausted the whale’s capacities for further battle. Closing in for the kill the hunters used knives on long poles or exploding bomb lances to finish off their quarry. They then had to make the return trip to port towing the monster, sometimes for hours.
On the Monterey Peninsula where all is light and beauty, at least on the surface, the whales add a true touch of enchantment. To see this noble creature within its “pod,” or traveling family, is an unforgettable, almost heartbreaking, thrill. Whale watching is a noble pastime whether alone onshore or up close and personal on a boat that leaves from the Monterey main wharf. Start with a tour of the Whalers Cabin Museum — see our Museum Listings visitor’s information — and then check out our Activities section for information on whale watching tours. Just don’t forget to grab your field glasses and camera. You’re in for the show of shows.
