Drone video captured a few magical moments off the Southern California coast when a gray whale calf and its mother made their way to Baja California during an astounding 6,000-mile annual migration.
The touching video was taken near Dana Point during a whale watching cruise with Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari. It shows the two whales bonding during their the U.S. West Coast leg of their journey into warmer southern waters.
Gray whales usually give birth in Baja's warm lagoons, but this calf -- less than half the size of its mother in the video -- was born along the migration route. The calf can be seen breaking the surface as it sticks closely by it mother's side.
A gray whale calf is about 15 feet long at birth. They pack on about 50 pounds per day with a steady diet of a mother's milk.
After wintering in Baja, the whales will eventually swim back up the coast in one of nature's longest mammal migrations. The whales are usually seen off Southern California form late November through mid-May.
