2015 09-05 SB Channel
It’s Saturday, Labor Day Weekend, and Captain Eric took command of an outstanding day full of great sightings. Conditions were good in our neck of the woods (north Santa Barbara Channel), but winds characterized the southern Channel near the islands. Eric kept it on the home turf and racked up a total of 8 humpback whales (more in the area), 500 long-beaked common dolphins, 2 hammerhead sharks, and 1 Mola mola.
There were some humpback breaches, and quite a few close and friendly encounters…all enhanced by the continued presence of that crystal clear Santa Barbara cobalt water. At times, Eric reports seeing whales 20 feet down with good clarity. The dolphins were scattered around the whole area today, and the hammerheads were seen far apart. One of the two hammerhead sharks was a small specimen, perhaps 4 feet long, and was not too far outside Santa Barbara Harbor as the Condor Express left this morning. The second of the two hammerhead sharks was larger, perhaps 6 feet long, and was seen at the end of the excursion.
The whales tended to have long down times today, perhaps feeding on deep layers of food in the water column. Surface times and tail flukes were good, however. It was another epic adventure on a nice holiday weekend.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express