A rough and windy day with fin whales and active humpbacks.
- Bob Perry
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Image: an energetic juvenile humpback whale does a bit of tail-slapping close to the Condor Express.
2026 07–17 SB Channel
Once again our NOAA National Weather Service, known for reporting the worst possible conditions, went out of its way to forecast ideal glassy seas and no swell, only for the reality to set in: an extremely bumpy, windy day with overcast gray skies. Captain Dave and the crew stayed in the N portion of the Channel and 2 or 3 miles from the buoy. Sightings: 2 fin whales, 4 humpback whales, and 3000 common dolphins.
After bumping our way S, we came into an area with lots of bait balls and birdnados. Right off the bat, we encountered 2 fin whales, both were sub-adult/juveniles. They appeared to be actively feeding sub-surface and came in the middle of the action a couple of times. There were several groups of 100 or more dolphins in the area.
After a short move W, we found a single humpback whale and several short-lived and transient birdnados. Although we could not get a tail fluke ID, the animal was doing a lot of subsurface feeding and you could see its brilliant, white pectoral fins below the surface. More dolphins...
S of the buoy we observed a mother humpback whale with her calf. Both of them did quite a bit of tail-slapping . (See today’s photograph for an example). They also performed a couple of vigorous tail throws. A single juvenile came into the area and joined the pair for a while. There were several close passes by the Condor Express. At least 1000 more dolphins were here.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
