A humpback, a fin and 2 blue whales

2015 09-17 SB Channel

It was a sunny day with moderate winds and seas offshore, and nicer conditions closer to the beach. Captain Dave took the Condor Express out to the Lanes and on the way our first sighting was a 3 – 4 foot hammerhead shark. The fish circled the boat and was not shy.

Out in the Lanes the first big cetacean spotted was a nice humpback whale and good looks were had by all. Next up was a medium-sized fin whale, not as large as the one we watched yesterday. It was fairly friendly and, again, great looks were had. Finally, two giant blue whales came into the zone and Dave followed at a safe distance alongside, and the whale fans were thrilled.

While watching all these whales in the commercial shipping lanes, the Matson 263-meter container cargo ship Mahimahi was on a track through the whale zone, heading first to LA Harbor and then to the Hawaiian Islands. Dave and the captain spoke on the VHF radio and the captain of the big boat willingly altered his course to avoid any possible collisions.   A new spirit of cooperation has been in effect as everyone does their best to save the whales. This was a great component of a day which brought us a humpback, a fin and 2 blue whales.

You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express