Humpback whale mother and calf.
2 humpback whales 2,000+ common dolphins 50+ California sea lions
There was a balmy southwesterly breeze in my face as I walked down to the Sea Landing in Santa Barbara to get on the Condor Express this morning. Although the NOAA marine weather forecast was a bit pessimistic, the sharp eyes and keep wit of Captain Mat and deck hand Captain Eric almost immediately got the boat situated on the same mother and calf pair of humpback whales we watched yesterday. Despite a moderate bump on the sea surface and winds increasing all morning, we had fantastic looks at these two humpback whales. Although their primary objective seems to be surface lunge feeding on the occasional ball of northern anchovies and moving around the area, there were a couple of show stopping escapades out of the youngster. In addition to one nice full body breach, junior also slapped its tail on the water a couple of times, perhaps as a signal to the abundant common dolphins that were competing for an anchovy dinner. These same dolphins were around all day and continually passed by and rode the bow of the Condor Express as we traveled around the extreme north edge of the Santa Barbara Channel. It was a spectacular bright sunny day.
I’ll have my photos posted to the photo website no later than Wednesday morning. https://www.CondorExpressPhotos.com
Bob Perry Condor Express