Image: our tracks today
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2024 04-07 SB ChannelÂ
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Captain Devin and the crew ran a 9a and a 12n excursion and stayed within 6 miles of shore both times. The morning trip took the eastern loop (as shown above), and the noon trip trended west. Skies were sunny all day with no wind and a little residual bump on the surface. Total sightings for the day included: 6 humpback whales, 6 gray whales, 1100 long-beaked common dolphins and 200 California sea lions. NOTE: Purple Sailor jellies (aka, By-the-Wind Sailors) are just now being seen in the Channel, having been trans ported from northern and central California by the wind and currents.
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Both trips barely left the harbor when their paths intersected with northbound gray whales. There was one pair on the AM, and two on the PM. What made the PM trip even more fun was that both duos were mother-calf pairs.
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Humpbacks, dolphins and sea lions figured prominently during both excursions. In the morning, after a loop around the oil platforms, we found 2 humpbacks lunge-feeding on the surface along side a large pod of dolphins and about 100 sea lions.
During the afternoon trip, we found a pair and a single humpback northwest of the Kelp Farm. One of the pair did a solo, big lunge. Moving east a bit, a single humpie did some surface side-lunging and then let loose a monster breach.
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You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
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Bob Perry
Condor Express, and