Image: A common dolphin mother and her calf are shown surfing a nice, glassy ocean wave.
2024 08-23 SB Channel West
Similar to yesterday, Captain Dave and the crew headed to the far western Channel and ended up finding tons of marine life about 6 miles past Platform Holly and not far off the coast. The surface was a bit bumpy, and in the far west there was a nice breeze on top of the bump to make things a little bit uncomfortable. On the other hand, it was a beautiful sunny day with blue skies and clear water. Sightings for the trip included 3+ humpback whales, 8000 common dolphins and 1 Minke whale.
We had great whale sightings and observations today, but the real story was the enormous population of dolphins in the western Channel region. We started off with a small group near the Kelp Farm, outside the harbor entrance. As we moved west, the size and frequency of the pods increased. We ultimately reached an area with several hotspots and active birdnados, and thousands of dolphins all directions. Many of the pods were extremely friendly to the Condor Express, and we had wonderful looks at them on both sides of the boat. They were having a wonderful time surfing our bow, side, and stern waves. (See today’s photo for an example).
Near one of the first hotspots, we had a a wonderful encounter with a Minke whale that surface several times for its fan club on the boat.
As we sat and watched one of the first birdnados, a single juvenile humpback whale came to the surface and was seen by everybody. Less than a mile away we found an another, large adult humpback, and then a second juvenile. Before long, all three of them joined together and appeared to be searching for food while they moved further west. It was good solid whale watching under the August sun.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store
Bob Perry
Condor Express, and