A plethora of marine mammals with excellent conditions in The Channel
- Bob Perry
- Jun 8
- 2 min read
2025 06–08 SB Channel
Captain Eddy and the crew traversed the entire Channel and ended up south of The Lanes near the West End of beautiful Santa Cruz Island. Although there was a very thin stratus layer that kept things gray, swells and breezes were small. Total sightings for the day included: 100 offshore bottlenose dolphins, 5 humpback whales and 3000 common dolphins.
A megapod of at least 2000 common dolphins, working a nearby birdnado, kicked off our sightings for the day. The hotspot also produced 3 humpback whales (a pair plus one single). All were large adults and one of them had beautiful white pectoral fins. There was a considerable amount of surface feeding using side lunges. Always dramatic and photogenic.
We continued south towards The Lanes and on our way we spotted a relatively large blue shark that was finning on the surface. As we slowed to get a better look, it sank out and disappeared.
Inside The Lanes we watched 2 single whales. One of them began breaching right next to the Condor Express and ended up with six leaps in a row! Wow! The pair followed up the breaching episode by mugging us for 20 minutes. Humpback selfies anyone?
Closer to The Island we encountered a large pod of offshore/oceanic bottlenose dolphins. The species is known for its aerial antics and today was no different. We saw lots of high-flying as well as midair flips and rolls… Often very close to the boat. (See today’s photograph for an example).
On the way home, near The Farm, we watched another megapod of 1000 common dolphins to round out a fantastic day.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
