This calendar details some of the biggest events of the year for whale watchers, conservationists and the animals themselves!
January
Mexico: Baja California. Whale watching begins and runs until the end of April. Many species can be seen including Blue, Fin, Minke, Bryde's, Killer, and Humpback whales.
USA: Peak Grey Whale shore based whale watching during mid January off Point Loma, San Diego and
Point Reyes Peninsula, San Francisco. www.best-california-beach.com/california-whale-watching.html
February
Antarctica: February into March is the best time to see Antarctic Minke and Killer whales in Antarctica.
Argentina: Killer Whales begin arriving off Peninsula Valdes in Argentina.
Dominican Republic: Peak breeding time for Northern Hemisphere Humpback whales.
Mexico: 'Friendly' Grey Whale watching at San Ignacio lagoon, Baja California.
USA: Peak breeding time for Northern Hemisphere Humpback whales in Hawaii.
USA: Maui Whale Festival, Maui, Hawaii, www.mauiwhalefestival.org . Organised by the Pacific Whale Foundation.
March
Argentina: Killer Whales return to Peninsula Valdez to hunt seal pups at Punta Norte.
Europe: European Cetacean Society Conference. Annual gathering of Europe's cetacean researchers. http://www.europeancetaceansociety.eu/ecs-conference.php
USA: Mendocino (6th-7th March 2010), Little River (12th-14th March 2010) and Ford Bragg (20th-21st March 2010) whale festivals take place, North California www.mendowhale.com/events.htm
USA: Dana Point Festival of Whales, California www.dpfestivalofwhales.com/ celebrates Grey whale migration.
April
Australia: Minke Whales start to arrive off the coast of Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Canada / USA / Europe: Humpback Whales start to appear along their feeding grounds in northeastern USA, eastern Canada and northern Europe.
USA: Grey Whale migration peaks off the Oregan coast with an average of six whales passing key headlands per hour.
USA: Whalefest Kodiak, Alaska, 22 April-5 May 2010. Celebrates the return of the Pacific Grey Whale to Alaskan waters. www.whalefestkodiak.com
USA: Redwood Coast Whale and Jazz festival, California. http://gualalaarts.org/Festivals/2010WhaleJazz.html
May
Argentina / Uruguay / Brazil: Southern Right Whales start arriving in suitable bays to calve.
Canada: Peak time for seeing Grey Whales off Vancouver Island's west coast as they head north to their summer feeding grounds.
South Africa: Late May, Southern Right Whales complete journey from Antarctica, arriving along coastal bays to calve.
June
Australia: National Whale Day, 5 June 2010. Driven by International Fund for Animal Welfare. Events all over Australia.
Australia: 150-200 Humpback whales a day migrating north past New South Wales' northern coast on their way to breeding grounds further north.
July
Canada: Killer Whales seen regularly along the Northwest Pacific - the best studied population of Orcas in the world.
Gabon: Whale watching season runs from now until November.
Madagascar: Peak whale watching time along northeastern coast.
USA: Whalefest Gloucester, Massachusetts, 15-18 July 2010, a Humpback whale feeding ground.
August
Australia: As whale watching in Hervey Bay reaches its peak in the middle of the month, some Humpback Whales begin their southbound journey to their feeding grounds off Antarctica.
Canada: Whale watching in the Bay of Fundy, eastern Canada is at its peak, with Northern Right, Humpback, Fin and Minke Whales using this important feeding ground.
South Africa: Mid August to mid October- whale watching peaks off False Bay.
September
Australia: Off Perth, Western Australia, the large population of Humpback Whales that breed along this vast coastline are beginning to be seen heading south once again as they head towards Antarctica.
South Africa: Hermanus Whale Festival, Hermanus, 24-28 September 2010, celebrates the Southern Right Whale calving grounds. www.whalefestival.co.za
October
South Africa: Southern Right Whale numbers peak off the coast of Hermanus.
November
USA: Sitka Whale Fest, Sitka, Alaska, 5-7 November 2010. Keynote speaker: Richard Ellis. www.sitkawhalefest.org
USA: American Cetacean Society, 12th International Conference. Monterey, California, USA. 12 - 14 November 2010.
USA: Society of Marine Mammology, 19th biennial conference. Tampa, Florida, USA. 26 November - 2 December, 2011.
December
Antarctica: The longest and warmest days of the year in Antarctica bring increased chances of seeing many whale species in Southern Ocean waters where they are feeding.
Costa Rica: Humpback and Sperm Whales present from now until January along the coastline of the Corcovado National Park.
