Breaching and kelping, a juvenile whale was a lot of fun.
- Bob Perry
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Image: a humpback whale is shown interacting with giant kelp, a behavior we call “kelping.”
2026 08–09 SB Channel
Captain Dave and the crew stopped and visited platform C before continuing SE to the same general area that has been so productive the last few days. A light overcast sky in the morning quickly broke to sunny skies. The water continues to be extremely clear, and a light breeze picked up in the afternoon. Total sightings: 500 common dolphins, 1 humpback whale, and 1 Minke whale.
After Dave’s well rehearsed presentation about offshore oil drilling in the Santa Barbara Channel, and specifically how oil platforms operate (while were right next to platform C) we started picking up common dolphins. The dolphins today were widely scattered in a small pods containing between 20 and 50 individuals. They were beautiful to watch because they were boat friendly and the water clarity revealed everything they did beneath the surface.
We continued SE and finally spotted a single, very young humpback whale with white pectoral flippers. Our friend and whale ID expert, Mark O’Brien, was on board today and identified our humpback using happywhale.com. It is HW–MN0504152 and was first recorded in June, Counting today, it has been recorded 6 times and only in the Santa Barbara Channel. Thanks Mark!
The whale spent most of its time feeding below the surface. It had very short dives and spent quite a bit of time on the surface, much to the joy of its fan club on the Condor Express. A pair of events not connected to feeding took place. First, suddenly, out of nowhere, the beast took to the air and performed a full body breach just off our port side. Secondly, it spent a considerable amount of time enjoying a major spa session in a floating, detached, giant kelp paddy. (See today’s photo for an example). Humpback whales are not alone in their kelping behavior. I’ve seen dolphins do it, orcas, as well as other baleen whales.
There was one Minke whale sighting. An individual came up for a couple of breaths in the distance, and almost everybody saw it.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
