Bumpy seas with nice humpback looks and more.
- Bob Perry
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
2025 08–04 SB Channel
There was no wind until we reached the lanes. Skies were partly sunny. There was a mixed swell which included a 3 foot west swell on top of an irregular stormy chop from the south. Conditions limited our maneuverability and geographic range. Sightings for the day included: 12 common dolphins, 6 humpback whales (we closely watched 4), and 1 ocean sunfish (Mola mola). We headed south to a point about 1 mile past the farm, did a small detour east, continued south out into the lanes, and then headed home directly from there.
With our limited range, due to the rough seas, we only watched 12 dolphins today and they were southwest of the farm. Our first whale sighting was also at this spot. It was a single juvenile cruising east. It was surfing the waves down swell and made no deep dives at all. This resulted in some good looks of one of the largest surfing animals on earth.
Moving southwest, our second whale encounter was a shy juvenile. It’s dives were short and it moved in random directions which made it difficult to locate and watch. We continued towards the lanes.
Before we got to the lanes, the captain and crew spotted a pair of additional whales. There were up for one surface interval and then both disappeared in the lumpy, breezy conditions, never to be seen again. It is highly likely that many passengers didn’t see them at all and they were not included in our official total count for the day.
Inside the separation zone, we were approached by a pair of large adult and boat friendly whales. While not technically a “mugging,“ they did spend quite a bit of time close to the boat and we got great looks as they kicked up their tail flukes. (see today’s photo for an example of this kind of friendly behavior).
Our last wildlife sighting of the trip happened right before we turned to head home and we were still inside the separation zone. We watched a very friendly, medium-sized, ocean sunfish (Mola mola). it was a very healthy specimen with no scars, scratches or wounds.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Note: Kudos again to Captain Eddy who kept everything safe and as comfortable as possible while still finding wildlife under adverse conditions.
