Glassy seas yield very productive looks.
- Bob Perry
- 5 days ago
- 1 min read
2025 06–10 SB Channel
Captain Eddy and the crew report fantastic conditions in our region of the Channel today. It was glassy all day, with only a trace of wind in the afternoon. Once again we traversed the entire Channel and ended up in The Lanes at the western end of beautiful Santa Cruz Island. Sightings today included: 2100 Common dolphins, 10 Humpback whales and 2 Ocean sunfish (Mola mola). Additionally, the crew retrieved one deflated, floating, Mylar balloon from the ocean surface.
A small (25-30) but friendly pod of common dolphins found the Condor Express fairly close to The Harbor, between The Kelp Farm and the oil rigs. We had great looks before continuing southwest.
We spent more time with a legitimate megapod of dolphins (2000+) east of The Buoy and spread out over a mile of water.
In the same location, we found 2 individual whales. The first one made a couple of close approaches and the second one breached. Both of them had long downtimes but showed good tail flukes.
Nearby we had the good fortune of watching 2 small Ocean sunfish (Mola mola) actively feeding on little gelatinous animals called “By The Wind or Purple Sailors” (Velella velella).
We continued about a mile further to the south and into the Separation Zone between the two Lanes. Here we had excellent looks at 3 more humpback whales. It was a mother, her calf, and a third adult whale.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
