2015 07-27 SB Channel
This was an afternoon trip and upon departing the dock at 100pm there was a moderate breeze from the west, so Captain Eric ran east and this proved to be a rewarding strategy. It was another bright and sunny day for some great cetaceans sightings, but it was not a cetacean that really stole the show. Here are the details.
Along the eastbound track taken by the Condor Express it was not long before a juvenile humpback whale accompanied by 250 or so long-beaked common dolphins were sighted. The #whale had nice surface times and kicked up its flukes nicely to impress the fans on board the boat. After a half-hour with this first humpback and #dolphins we continued to chive-on to the east.
In the far eastern Santa Barbara Channel 3 more humpback whales were sighted along with another 250 dolphins. This trio was comprised of a mother and her calf along with another adult. The calf swam under the boat a few times and since the great water clarity we’ve had all week continued today, this was a breath-taking thing to watch. Also, a very curious behavioral sequence occurred in which the mother humpback threw her tail wildly, followed by a tail throw by the other adult, and then a third tail throw in a row this time by the calf. One, two, three….bam, bam, bam.
As if this was not enough, a couple of young humans on the boat called out “shark!” Sure enough there was a shark swimming in the crystal clear water right next to the boat and it turned out to be a hammerhead. Crew member Tasha took the photograph above so you can see this for yourself. Thanks, Tasha !
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express