WHERE THE WHALE-WATCHING IS BEST

Of all creatures on land or sea, none are more magnificent than the great whales. With the exception of the orca, the so-called killer whale, none of these aquatic mammals lives long in captivity. So to see these cetaceans court, calf, feed and frolic, you have to travel to their natural habitats. The World Wildlife Fund has identified the following locations as the best whale-watching spots.  Only three places attract whales year-round. Great sperm whales frequent the waters off the Japanese island of Shikoku and New Zealand's Kaikoura Peninsula, while gray, blue and humpback whales can be seen from the shores of Baja Mexico near Cabo San Lucas.

Summer's the season for whale-watching off Cape Cod, Mass., where at least five different species frequently frolic. Minke whales and orcas can be seen from the shore near Campbell River on Victoria Island in British Columbia, Canada. Other great spots for summer sightings are the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in Antarctica and the Lofoten Islands off the northwest coast of Norway.  This time of year, one can stand on the shore and watch right whales and orcas mi grate along South Africa's whale route and along the Argentina's Patagonia coast. The observatory on San Diego's Cabrillo National Monument is a great whale-watching site. Finally, January to March is the whale-watching season in Samana Bay on the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic, as humpbacks and pilot whales follow warm ocean currents to their winter feeding grounds.

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