Notes about your surroundings.

More on Whales--The annual southward migration of the California gray whale from the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea to breeding areas off the coast of Baja California has become an increasingly popular spectacle.

Some marine scientists, though, worry that all the attention given to the whales as they pass along the California shoreline is causing many of the huge marine mammals to change their routes and make their passage as far as 40 miles off the coast, instead of near the beach as in years past. Private boaters, especially, can get too close and may disturb the whales.

Here are some guidelines for safe, non-disruptive whale-watching, provided by Harry Helling of the Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point.

* Vessels should stay at least 100 yards from the whales.

* Vessels should be operated at a constant speed while following parallel to or behind whales within 100 yards.

* Vessels should do nothing to cause the whale to change direction and should never cross in front of a whale.

Habits--For those trying to spot a whale, it is helpful to know something about their breathing habits. Normally they take three breaths at 30-second intervals before plunging in a deep dive that lasts three to five minutes.

The whale’s breath is blown quickly under great pressure to heights of 10 to 12 feet, which cools and turns to “fog.”

Facts--

* The California gray whale spends its Arctic summer grazing on plankton and krill--about 1 1/2 tons of the microscopic creatures and plants each day (500,000 calories).

* It rarely eats for the eight months it is away from the Arctic.

* The whale’s 12,000-mile annual migration is the longest of any mammal.

* The whales average 30 to 50 feet long and weigh 20 to 35 tons.