Some might call it a fluke — but seeing the same friendly humpback whale on three separate trips seems more than just a coincidence.

Whale watchers got a treat last week when one distinctive, 35-foot humpback with a white tail and its head covered in barnacles popped up next to a small, inflatable Newport Coastal Adventure boat three times — begging the question: Who is the one doing the watching?

The first encounter was Wednesday, Nov. 15, when Newport Coastal Adventure captain Ryan Lawler took an all-day trip to Catalina with a friend, who requested the excursion for his birthday.

Photograher Neil Barnes, aboard Dana Wharf Whale Watching boat, captures a humpback whale “mugging” passengers on Newport Coastal Adventure. Photo courtesy of Barnes.

Who is watching who? Captain Ryan Lawler is face to face with a humpback whale off of Newport Beach last week. Photo courtesy of Newport Coastal Adventure/ Kari Reaves.

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An underwater photo shows a whale swimming off Catalina last Wednesday. Photo: Ryan Lawler/Newport Coastal Adventure

An underwater photo shows a whale swimming off Catalina last Wednesday. Photo: Ryan Lawler/Newport Coastal Adventure



“We saw 10 (humpback whales) feeding in a concentrated warm-water pocket on the front side of Catalina,” Lawler said.

One curious whale from the pod broke off and headed toward the boat. Lawler cut the engine and let the humpback scope them out.

“It stuck its head out of the water multiple times — it was like it was dancing beneath the boat,” he said. “It’s a people-watching whale. So much of the time, we’re trying to get a look at the whale by following it around. This whale decided to follow us around.”

These type of whales are often called “friendlies,” with humpbacks in particular known for their gregarious, playful nature. Another term whale watchers use is “mugging,” when the whale sticks its face up next to the boat, as if showing off for the passengers.

With only the duo on the boat, Lawler was able to do something he had only dreamed about, but could never do with a boat full of passengers. He put on a face mask and dipped into the ocean, holding the inflatable boat with one hand and filming the whale underwater with the other.

“I watched the whale circle us,” he said. “Being in the water, the biggest thing that strikes you is the eye contact.”

He also marveled at the massive creature’s gracefulness as it swam around the 25-foot boat, its body dwarfing the inflatable zodiac. He watched it underwater for about two minutes.

“It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing,” Lawler said.

The second encounter happened two days later, on Friday, Nov. 17, when another captain on the Newport Coastal Adventure boat called in to say there was a playful humpback about eight miles off Newport, and to ask if he could stay out with the passengers for an extra hour.

“They were enthralled by this whale,” Lawler said.

They determined it was the same whale based on its white tail — common in other parts of the world, but a rare, distinctive marker for humpbacks seen in California waters.

Then, on Saturday, the same whale — by this time nicknamed “Mr. Rogers” because of its friendliness, though its gender was unclear — approached whale-watching boats again off the Newport coast. The whale did the same dance — twirling around, mugging and swimming under and beside the Newport Coastal Adventure boat — to the thrill of passengers.

Lawler said there’s been an influx of humpbacks along the Orange County coast the past few weeks, likely because they are feeding before making their way down to Mexico and more tropical waters.

“This time of year, they are kind of feeding away and gaining those final pounds before they hit their breeding grounds,” he said.

Whale-watching charters last week also saw their first migrating gray whale off Dana Point.

The gray whale makes the annual journey from Alaska to Mexico, the longest migration of any mammal on Earth. The whales are seen passing through Orange County waters as they head south to breed, then as they make their way back up north in late winter into early spring.