2017 05-04 SB Coast
Although Captain Dave had to deal with fog most of the day today the total sightings were phenomenal. 4 humpback whales, 5 gray whales, and about 1000 long beaked common dolphins were observed.
9 am Our sea conditions were quite good but the fog was dense and wet. Around 9:30 AM we encountered a group of 400 or so dolphins busy feeding on anchovies at the surface. Lots of upside down feeding, and some upside down mating was observed. We continued searching around in the fog for other species and finally encountered one lone and rather shy gray whale near the harbor entrance.
12 noon The noon trip still had some fog but it had lifted off the deck a little bit. Right away near the harbor entrance we encountered for gray whales. It was two mothers with their calves heading up the coast. Additional gray whales were around but we did not have time to follow them as well. Based on some Intel we ran to the east and got located on 4 humpback whales. One of them was tale-slapping in the distance as we enter the zone. Right away two of the humpback whales came over and mowed the boat. It was incredible. Then they swim just a little distance away from us and both of the whales Fluked up side-by-side simultaneously. Finally, towards the end of the trip, we came across a nice size herd of about 500 or more common dolphins that we’re busy feeding with screeching elegant terms overhead.
On the beach near the dock a single elephant seal had crawled up and was resting in the sand.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express
PS yesterday I mentioned our friend Scarlet the humpback whale and featured a photograph taken during our trip. Some confused blog readers pointed out that a whale named Scarlet had recently washed up dead in orange county. These nicknames are not official and so a name like Scarlet can refer to a different animals in different locations. Luckily our local Santa Barbara Scarlet is doing just fine.