A huge number of whales and dolphins today.
- Bob Perry
- Aug 14
- 1 min read
2025 08–14 SB Channel
Captain Dave and the crew ran south and ended up in the separation zone just south of the buoy. All the action today was in the buoy area. There was an overcast, gray sky all day. Seas were moderately choppy and there was a strong breeze that kicked up a little chop. Total sightings: 5000 common dolphins and 20+ humpback whales (We closely watched 15 of them).
Small pods of common dolphins began to show up when we were still northwest of the buoy. Populations increased in size throughout the day. The hotspot area that surrounded the buoy supported megapods.
Captain Dave spotted 2 spouts several miles to the south and started to head in that direction. We did not go far when we found ourselves surrounded on all sides by humpbacks. Many of them came close to the Condor Express. (See today’s photo for an example). Perhaps the most active of the bunch was a mother with her calf plus an adult. There were several robust tail throws and quite a bit of socializing including rolling around. Always fantastic to see!
On the way home we stopped on several additional large pods of dolphins.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Note: the smoke from nearby fires was quite a bit reduced today.
