Image: humpback whales and glassy water.
2023 6-15 SB Channel
Another high, thin stratus layer kept things bright but gray. The air was warm. The ocean surface was a beautiful mirror, glass flat. Captain Dave and the crew ran west, past UCSB and ended up 6 miles offshore from Naples Reef. Sightings included: 3+ humpback whales and 3000 long-beaked common dolphins.
Several large, scattered groups of dolphins were encountered during our transit to the west. Large swirling schools of northern anchovies were seen near the surface everywhere. Off Naples we watched two single whaled joined up for a while, then diverge. After parting company, one of them did a bit of sideways lunge feeding. Thousands of dolphins were in this area.
A third whale was seen breaching multiple times closer to shore. We moved over and had nice looks, but it had calmed down.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Condor Express, and
CondorExpressPhotos.com