Good sightings in the eastern channel.
- Bob Perry
- a few seconds ago
- 2 min read
Image: the track of the Condor Express today. (marinetraffic.com) blue lines represent fast travel: yellow and red mean we slowed down for wildlife.
2026 06–24 SB Channel
As things were thinning out in the W yesterday, our talented captain Dave decided to explore the SE Channel. Sightings were good: 3000 common dolphins, 5 humpback whales, and 1 Minke whale. There was a high, thin stratus layer all day except for the last half hour. The seas were flat and calm.
After a brief tour of the world famous Santa Barbara oil platform C (see note below), we moved 2 miles when we came upon a series of small birdnados. There were many small pods of dolphins here, and we would continue to see them all day. Our first humpback was feeding (sub-surface) alongside the birds and dolphins. It was moving in random directions all over the place. But everyone had wonderful looks.
A while later along our SE path (see today’s image), there were more dolphins and whales. We started to watch a single humpback when it was joined by an additional trio. We observed several very close passes by the whales, which seem to be totally random as the whales were focused on feeding. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful encounter. During our whale watching, a single Minke whale was spotted working around the outer edge of the hotspot.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
NOTE:
As a quick reminder, oil platform Charlie, called “C” for short, was responsible for the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, which covered the Shoreline E and W, killing loss of marine life in the water and growing on the shore. It was the inspiration behind the famous book, “Silent Spring“ by Rachel Carson, and also inspired Earth Day which is celebrated worldwide.