Los Angeles ( CNN ) The cheering , clapping fans are greeting them with choruses of oohs and ahhs , hero worship for the rock stars of the sea : whales . Whale-watching boats out of Southern California are reporting almost every excursion returns to harbor with giddy patrons carrying images of large marine mammals in their cameras and minds . `` This season has just been magical , there 's just no other way to describe it , '' said Dan Salas , a captain for Harbor Breeze Cruises . `` And this is just the beginning of gray whale season . It 's going to go all the way until May . '' The gray whales are making their annual migration south from the Arctic Ocean where they feed , down to Mexico , where they breed during winter and late spring . `` We know that the ocean is changing , the Earth is warming , the ice melting , and this might be giving the gray whales more ( easier ) access to food , '' said Kera Mathes , marine biologist with the Aquarium of the Pacific . `` With more access to food , the gray whales might be able to leave the Arctic waters earlier . '' During a recent Salas trip , the captain closely followed two gray whales making a parallel journey south near Long Beach . The whales flipped their flukes out of the water and took dives , while dozens of eyes and cameras followed each move . Salas left that pair of migrating gray whales to search for a second set of gray whales , a rarity , a mother and her brand new calf . `` There 's mama and there 's baby , '' the captain shouted over the boat 's loudspeaker . `` The baby was born today . Happy birthday . '' The mother and baby cetaceans dipped underwater and reappeared , often with a spritz from their blowholes . On this trip , the gray whales did not breech out of the water completely , looking like some sort of slick television commercial . Those picture postcard breeches are uncommon , according to biologists and whale tour boat captains , but any sight of any part of a whale caused celebration . `` CNN had that pretty interesting documentary , `` Blackfish , '' and it brought a lot of attention to our customers , to where they mentioned how excited they were to see the whales in the wild , their natural environment , '' said Salas . `` Since that documentary our business has increased and we will hear the kids cheering , 'They are free . ' '' Orcas , killer whales in captivity , were the subject of `` Blackfish . '' Free-swimming orcas have been spotted this season in Southern California along with some Humpback whales and the usual preponderance of a variety of dolphins playfully jumping in clusters . Wide-eyed and smiling children chattered with each sighting . `` I 've been seeing Mother Nature and the birth of a new whale , '' said 11-year-old Connor Parrish from Missouri . `` And the awesome dolphins , which are my favorite ocean animal , so it 's been good . ''
`` This season has just been magical , there 's just no other way to describe it , '' says boat captain . The team is in the midst of a run that will see them finish second behind their arch rivals Sydney FC and qualify for next season's FFA Cup finals.