It was another adventure in the eastern Santa Barbara Channel with Captain Dave putting things together with the help of his crew. As the day progressed the sea conditions went from very calm to a little bit choppy. The crew and all the whale fans on board kept their eyes out for cetaceans as the Condor Express made the trip from Santa Barbara down to a region south of The Lanes near West Anacapa Island. Unfortunately, this path across the Channel was a bit bare until a single blue whale was located. Captain Dave believes it was the same blue whale we watched yesterday. It is a regular tail-fluker, and has numerous Remora attached to its skin.
The blue whale did something different today. It made a very direct course to the boat and passed closely alongside for everyone to see. The light shone through the shallow water and made the whale appear bright blue…all within a couple dozen yards of the whale watchers. Of course Dave held the boat in neutral the whole time, and it is good to remember at times like these that the Condor Express does not have propellers or rudders. We are a jet boat after all.
On the way home and not too far out from the harbor entrance a pod of 75 or so long-beaked common dolphins found the boat and had a lot of fun messing around in our wake and riding the bow.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express