Four nice humpbacks and great panoramic views
- Bob Perry
- Feb 14, 2024
- 1 min read
Image: a close look at an adult humpback whale in the Santa Barbara Channel.
2024 02-14 SB Channel
Happy Valentine's Day. Conditions were good today. Skies were overcast with a little bit of sun shining on the islands when we got offshore. The water was flat and there was only a light breeze. A single trip departed the harbor at 12 noon and saw 4 humpback whales.
Captain Dave steered a direct course to a spot that was midway between Santa Cruz Island and Coal Oil Point near Goleta. This was in The Lanes. Upon arriving at the scene, we found two pairs of whales. The first was a mother and calf, and the second was two adults. All of them appeared to be in slow travel mode. All were mostly on the surface...in fact during the duration of our observations, they only dove twice for about two minutes. The dives did produce nice tail flukes.
Among the two adults there was a little bit of rolling around and socializing at one point.
I cannot emphasize enough the beauty of seeing all four islands clearly with their bright green slopes and patches of bright sun here and there.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store,
Bob Perry
Condor Express, and