A great day with 4 different cetacean species

2022 05-18 SB Channel

It was a hazy, sunny day with little wind and moderate seas in our neck of the Channel today. Closely-watched species included: 6 coastal bottlenose dolphins, 1200 long-beaked common dolphins, 50 Pacific white-sided dolphins and 2 humpback whales.

The coastal bottlenose dolphins were sighted at the mouth of the harbor and we followed them for a while to get some good looks. From there we crossed the entire Channel heading towards the western end of beautiful Santa Cruz Island (we’d end up off Santa Rosa later).

South of The Lanes and near the west end two groups of common dolphins located us. Both groups were spread out and moving east, separated by a mile or so. Much later, on the trip home, a slightly larger group played with us for a while about 6 miles off Hope Ranch.

South of the Lanes and near Carrington Point, Santa Rosa Island, a pair of humpbacks turned out to be a mother with her calf. They were boat-friendly and made a couple of nice close approaches. Two miles later we found a nice herd of white-sided dolphins…always a great species to see!

You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express, and www.CondorExpressPhotos.com