{"source_url": "https://www.mercurynews.com", "url": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/12/28/video-shows-3-gray-whales-playing-with-dolphins-sea-lions-off-orange-county-coast/", "title": "Video shows 3 gray whales playing with dolphins, sea lions off Orange County coast", "top_image": "https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/OCR-L-VIDEO-1227.jpg?w=1024&h=576", "meta_img": "https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/OCR-L-VIDEO-1227.jpg?w=1024&h=576", "images": ["https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/OCR-L-VIDEO-1227.jpg?w=1024&h=576", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=85&d=mm&r=g", "https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/plugins/dfm-trust-indicators/static/images/Trust-Logo-Horizontal.svg", "https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/jetpack/modules/sharedaddy/images/loading.gif"], "movies": ["https://www.youtube.com/embed/kZBnZ6iAdRI?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent"], "text": "While Orange County was reveling in the spirit of the holidays this week, a group of marine mammals held a party of their own.\n\nOn Tuesday, Dec. 24, Capt. Steve Plantz, on board the Manute\u2019a \u2014 a catamaran operated by Capt. Dave\u2019s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari \u2014 came across a festive sight involving three gray whales, and some dolphins and sea lions.\n\nPlantz had taken the Manute\u2019a out on its first public cruise on Christmas Eve morning and was looking for marine mammals \u2014 including gray whales which have started to show up off the Orange County coastline during their annual migration from the Bering Sea in Alaska.\n\nHe first saw a group of common dolphins which led Plantz about three miles straight out of Dana Point Harbor, where he caught sight of the whale spouts. As the boat got closer, Plantz saw three whales \u2014 two adults and one juvenile. The common dolphins continued to frolic with the whales who were cruising south.\n\nTwo hours later, Plantz took out a second group of passengers. This time he found the whales off Camp Pendleton, surrounded by about 20 Pacific white-sided dolphins and three sea lions.\n\n\u201cThe dolphins were diving around them and under them,\u201d Plantz said. \u201cThe sea lions were just jumping.\u201d\n\n\u201cHad this been any day of the year, to get a sighting like this would have felt like Christmas,\u201d he added. \u201cTo get this on Christmas Eve, it added a special element.\u201d", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": ["gray whales", "sea lions", "dolphins", "Orange County", "play", "video"], "tags": ["Environment", "California News", "Weekend Wire", "Animals"], "authors": ["Erika I. Ritchie"], "publish_date": "Sat Dec 28 00:00:00 2019", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "While Orange County was reveling in the spirit of the holidays this week, a group of marine mammals held a party of their own.", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/32x32-mercury-news-white.png?w=32", "meta_data": {"application-name": "themercurynews", "viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1", "msvalidate.01": "4B535F7EB2971D1FCBA5D1D3E3E292C3", "description": "While Orange County was reveling in the spirit of the holidays this week, a group of marine mammals held a party of their own.", "keywords": "gray whales, sea lions, dolphins, Orange County, play, video", "generator": "WordPress 5.3.2", "wp-parsely_version": "1.14", "fb": {"pages": 63095136336}, "google-site-verification": "jvnaFa4kq5tUDhFMQZ84bDI74A2qnu0gfhxZjZXlkko", "og": {"type": "article", "title": "Video shows 3 gray whales playing with dolphins, sea lions off Orange County coast", "url": "http://www.ocregister.com/video-shows-3-gray-whales-playing-with-dolphins-sea-lions-off-orange-county-coast", "description": "The festive scene was a special Christmas Eve treat for whale watchers.", "site_name": "The Mercury News", "image": {"identifier": "https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/OCR-L-VIDEO-1227.jpg?w=1024&h=576", "width": 1024, "height": 576}, "locale": "en_US"}, "article": {"published_time": "2019-12-28T20:19:34+00:00", "modified_time": "2019-12-29T03:50:47+00:00"}, "twitter": {"site": "@mercnews", "text": {"title": "Video shows 3 gray whales playing with dolphins, sea lions off Orange County coast"}, "image": "https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/OCR-L-VIDEO-1227.jpg?w=640", "card": "summary_large_image"}, "msapplication-TileImage": "https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/32x32-mercury-news-white.png?w=32"}, "canonical_link": "http://www.ocregister.com/video-shows-3-gray-whales-playing-with-dolphins-sea-lions-off-orange-county-coast"}