Image: a humpback spends time at the surface with its mouth open, “chomping” with no food present. Some think it may be rinsing its baleen.
2023 10-05 SB Channel
There were sunny, blue skies all day in the Channel. It was warm and a great escape from the hot temperatures in the city. The wind was negligible in the morning, then increased slightly to about 12 knots. Sightings were, once again, near record-breaking: 25+ humpback whales, 3000 long-beaked common dolphins and 300 California sea lions.
Although some scattered dolphins were observed as we traveled south to the hot spot, almost all of the sightings took place once we got there. Things moved slightly south from yesterday and all the action was on the edge of The Lanes. As we moved from whale to whale, and the various activity zones, we saw whales, dolphins, sea lions and a couple of nice birdnados. Captain Dave and the crew emphasize the point that there were whales and spouts all around us, including many in the binocular distance.
One of the last whales we watched took up some surface chomping with chin-slaps mixed in. There was no food present, and yet it opened its mouth wide and often rotated its body in a circle before “chomping” down. (See today’s photo for an example). There was a single breach about ½ mile behind us that most people missed, and several random close passes which occurred by luck as the whales moved around.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store,
Bob Perry Condor Express, and
CondorExpressPhotos.com
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