A few miles south of the lighthouse at Pigeon Point, the Año Nuevo State Reserve features the largest breeding colony in California for northern elephant seals, which spend most of their lives far out at sea.

The best time of year for seal watching is during their mating season, beginning in December when thousands of bull elephant seals come ashore to procreate on a single spit of land south of Half Moon Bay—at Año Nuevo Beach near Pescadero. Any one year, you may see as many as 5000 elephant seals on the beach at once.

A bull elephant seal is a big guy; he may be 16’ long and weigh more than 5000 pounds—close to the combined weight of the entire San Francisco 49ers’ starting lineup. While the bull seals are fighting for dominance, the females arrive, give birth, and prepare to mate with the winners. By late February, the adult seals depart, leaving behind weaned pups who must eventually leave the tidepools and beaches and make it through the great white sharks waiting just offshore.

You’re most likely to see gray whales during the months of November and December (when they’re migrating south) and in May and June (when they’re migrating north).

Note that we cannot guarantee that you’ll spot any wildlife whatsoever on any one particular flight. But this part of this area of the California coast is spectacular in any season.