From Canyon To Cove:

If you’ve ever wanted to peek at the hidden homes — and spectacular views — of the rich and famous who cluster along Laguna Beach’s secluded coves and shoreline, now you can.

Dana Wharf Sportfishing is branching out with a new “Laguna Coastline SightSeaing Cruise” that combines a historic perspective of the coast from Crystal Cove to Three Arch Bay with the possibility of seeing some fun-loving dolphins, and maybe even a whale, along the way.

I took the tour Sunday, and before the historic part started, we had the thrill of being in a pod of an estimated 1,000 common dolphins. The dolphins were chasing along side our catamaran, jumping for joy (or just to show off), and swimming between the pontoons. It was like a dolphin festival. I could hear the dolphins breathe right next to me as they surfaced and dove. What fun! The dolphins apparently just love to swim as fast as they can and to “surf” the waves created by the swooshing of the boat through the water. It was a spectacular start to our three-hour tour.

Once we got to Irvine Cove and Eric Jessen of the Laguna Beach Historical Society started talking, we all fell silent with awe as we took in some of the most spectacular dwelling spots in the world.

Jessen, who conducts the tour on Sundays, grew up in Laguna and has an incredible store of history and trivia to share. Not only that, he ran the county Beaches and Harbors Department for 30 years, so he knows the coast like the back of his hand. Now that Jessen has joined the historical society, it’s become his mission to educate and entertain with his vast store of knowledge. He not only knows Laguna, he loves Laguna, and his admiration for the city and how it grew is evident from the moment he picks up his microphone.

And there is no better vantage point from which to take in this rich history than from a boat, because the history of Laguna Beach is really all about the “beach.”

Filling in with tidbits about the ocean and marine environment was boat Capt. Larry Hartmann, who also grew up locally and is an expert on all things oceanic. Did you know that the kelp forest which is “greening” the ocean right now grows incredibly fast? The kelp strands grow an inch an hour in sunlight, Hartmann said.

He also was able to spot for us three of the four kinds of dolphins that live in these waters. We saw common dolphins, bottle-nose and white-sided on our trip.