LAGUNA BEACH, CA — The ocean is beautiful, the Orange County coastline, pristine, but it is the natural beauty of our marine wildlife that continues to take our collective breath away.

This week, Captain Dave Anderson of Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching tours shared this drone footage of a gentle giant soaring near one of his tour boats. "Whale watchers got the show of a lifetime when multiple fin whales 'mugged' (circled very closely) their catamaran, operated by Captain Dave's Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari," Anderson said. "One of the fin whales even jumped in the air, a very rare occurrence."

Due to their massive size fin whales are hardly ever seen breaching. The encounters, filmed by licensed drone pilot Domenic Biagini and on-board ship photographer Steve Plantz, occurred recently off the coast of Dana Point. During the "mugging" Capt. Dave's boat remained in neutral so the animals were not disturbed. "Fin whales are the second largest baleen whale in the world, after blue whales," Anderson said. "They are seen throughout the year off Dana Point. Fin whales can measure over 80 feet in length and weigh up to 80 tons. Fin whales are very fast and capable of speeds up to 23 miles per hour, leading to the nickname greyhound of the sea. They eat primarily krill and small schooling fish. Due to its size and speed the only natural predator of fin whales are orcas."

With its rich and diverse marine eco-system, Dana Point is one of the best places in the world for whale watching. In addition to fin whales, other whales include blue whales, humpback whales, gray whales, minke whales, Bryde's whales, false killer whales, pilot whales, and killer whales can be seen seen at various times throughout the year. Five different species of dolphins are also encountered year-round. Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari offers daily, year-round, dolphin and whale watching trips from Dana Point, California, aboard a hi-tech catamaran sailboat with Eye-to-Eye Underwater Viewing Pods.