You cannot blame these two humpback whales for wanting a bit of relaxation on such a nice day. The two logged on the surface for a long time.
Cetaceans are abundant on a gorgeous day.
The ocean was flat and calm and varied between mill pond glass and a gentle breeze in spots. The sun played hide and seek with the low stratus and the ocean water offshore continues to be crystal clear and blue. We scouted the eastern #SantaBarbara Channel and it was not long before we came across a massive hot zone that had at least 1,500 common #dolphins, 5 humpback whales, dozens of California sea lions, and a bunch of seabirds such as black vented shearwater, elegant terns, and Brandts cormorants. At least 2 Minke whales also worked the zone. The number of Velella velella jellies was way down from its peak last Sunday.
As for the humpback whale show today, we had our three “stars” back in action: Top Notch, Rope and Lucky. They were pretty much all business but popped up near the Condor Express a few times for some very close looks. Perhaps the most intriguing humpback behavior today was at least an hour of surface logging by two other large animals. We watched from an appropriate distance for quite a while as they hung motionless, but took a mighty breath every so often just to prove they were still alive. [The crew was thinking about how if they do this for prolonged periods at night in the shipping lanes it would be a disaster.] We finally pulled away and they were still logging.
After having maxed out on cetaceans in the hot zone, we took a spin over to the eastern end of Santa Cruz Island and slowly did some excellent sight seeing along the majestic sea cliffs. We also tucked inside of Potato Harbor for a look at this jewel of a cove. On the way home there were a few more pods of common dolphins as gentle and balmy breezes wafted across the boat.
What a day !
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express
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