Humpbacks, blues, dolphins, and a 12 foot shark

Image: a glassy gray ocean surface is broken by a large rounded dorsal fin. Is it a Mako, or a great white?

2026 05–23 SB Channel

The entire day was spent in the gray from a thick stratus layer. There was no swell, and no wind. Sightings: 1 unidentified 12 foot long shark, 2 humpback whales, and 3 giant blue whales (we spent quality time with 1 of them).

5 miles out Captain Dave slowed down and circled around a very large, rounded dorsal fin of an unidentified shark. He estimated the beast to be at least 12 feet long, and was moving rather quickly from E to W.  The very gray sky and dim light did not help us see clearly into the water for a positive identification. (See today’s photo for an example).

The rest of the action took place S of the lanes, where we were greeted by two separate pods of at least 400 common dolphins each. The usual fun ensued as they came to the boat and rode our waves.

Close by, our first whale sighting consisted of a pair of humpback whales. It was a mother with her calf. The mom dove frequently while the calf stayed on the surface and played around…it swam on its side and rolled over a bit. During our humpback encounter, we noticed 3 very big spouts nearby. They belonged to giant blue whales. 1 of them was closer to the Condor Express, so we stayed with that one for a while. It showed its tail fluke several times, and at one point it surfaced from a deep dive right near us. Excellent sightings!

You never know what mother nature has in store.

Bob Perry

condorexpressphotos.com

NOTE: our friend and scholar Mark O’Brien photographed and identified the adult humpback whale using www.happywhale.com It’s designation is CRC-10024, and has been recorded 27 times before today. It’s first sighting was in 1983, and it’s tail pix range from Ft. Bragg, CA in the north to San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mexico, in the south. Only 3 records during this time were produced in the Santa Barbara Channel. Thank you for your research and Camera skills Mark!