A LITTLE GRAY WHALE CALF POKES ITS HEAD UP TO SPOUT AS IT TRAVELS SAFELY ALONGSIDE ITS MOTHER IN THE GLORIOUS BRIGHT SANTA BARBARA SUN
2015 04-28 SB Coast
Captain Dave commanded the Condor Express for a single excursion leaving Santa Barbara Harbor at high noon for a showdown with the wildlife. It was warm and sunny, but things started off pretty windy. Two good things about the wind: it died a lot during the trip and there was not much swell under it. It was a magical day with at least 1,500+ #dolphins, 6 #whales, 50 #sea lions, and clear blue water.
12 noon. Immediately after leaving our customary visit with the California sea lions on the harbor entrance buoy we spotted 2 gray whales, a mother and calf. They led us west into the wind and their glowing bodies were easy to track in the previously mentioned clear water. Before long our attention was diverted to a mob of at least 25 porpoising sea lions that had just a single Pacific white-sided dolphin in the mix. (Sighting a single white-sider all by itself with a mob of sea lions raises a bunch of questions). Sharp-eyed Augie-the-deckhand found us about 8 coastal bottlenose dolphins traveling west in the kelp along the shore. They made one pass out to the Condor, then resumed their travel.
Up ahead of the bottlenose dolphins there were more tall spouts. This turned out to be 4 more gray whales, you guessed it, 2 mothers each with calves. The four stayed together the whole time, from our initial sighting with them at Hendry’s Beach until we left them at Goleta. Further to the west off the Goleta Pier there was a mega-pod of long-beaked common dolphins scattered across a wide swath of ocean. There were easily 1,500 of these hungry little cetaceans and a bunch more sea lions joining the fun. Before long it was time to go and the course back to the harbor took us past a second group of 20 or so porpoising sea lions.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express
Look for the photos sometime tomorrow: www.CondorExpressPhotos.com