Humpback whales, giant blue whales, Risso’s and common dolphins… out near a beautiful Santa Rosa Island
- Bob Perry
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Image: a group of Risso’s dolphins, part of a very large pod, as seen from the Condor Express in the Santa Barbara Channel.
2026 06–16 SB Channel
Skies were overcast until we started heading home late in the trip. There was a light chop on the water, and when we reached the lanes near beautiful Santa Rosa Island, there was a light breeze. Captain Eddy and the crew ran SW towards Carrington Point, Santa Rosa Island. There was a lot of diversity today: 500 common dolphins, 9 humpback whales (we closely watched 1), 150 Risso’s dolphins, 6 giant blue whales (we closely watched 4), and 10 California sea lions.
A small birdnado caught our attention when we were about 5 miles SW of the harbor. In addition to all the bird activity, there were about 200 dolphins feeding here with a handful of California sea lions. There were a total of 6 whales in the vicinity. We followed 1 of them very carefully, it was a juvenile. It showed its tail flukes frequently, and appeared to be feeding sub-surface. At one point, it popped-up right next to the Condor Express, purely by chance. Everybody had a great look.
A very large pod of Risso’s dolphins intersected our path when we were in the lanes. There were at least 150 individuals, spread out over at least 1/2 mile. Small groups surrounded the boat at all times (see today’s photo for an example). A large number of very tiny newborn calves were in the group.
Continuing along our SW heading, when we were S of the lanes, we came into a region with tall spouts everywhere. At least 6 adult giant blue whales were observed. We moved around and got great looks at 4 of them. They fluked-up twice, once was a huge tail right off the bow… Perfect for selfies.
Near the buoy, on the way home, we drove by an area with at least 200 more dolphins and 3 additional humpback whales. We did not have time to stop because of the distance back to the Harbor.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
