Image: Killer whales, part of a larger group in the Santa Barbara Channel.
2024 06-07 SB Channel
Captain Danny and the crew report ideal conditions for watching whales in The Channel today. Seas were glassy smooth due to the fact that there was no wind. A light overcast kept things bright but gray. Sightings for the day were excellent: 9 killer whales and 1100 common dolphins. We located the killer whale pod about a mile west of The Buoy and stayed with them for most of the trip.
We stopped twice to watch dolphins on our way out. There was a small group right off of Ledbetter, and then a mile later a little bit larger group. Like most of the dolphins we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, they were busy scouting for food and paid very little attention to riding the Condor Express wake waves.
We arrived at the killer whale spot and found 9 individuals moving around slowly with very short dives. Among the group members we saw 2 adult males, lots of females and 2 calves. All were both friendly and swam around both sides of the boat so everyone could give them their due.
On the way home, we slowed down a little to watch a mega pod of dolphins.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Condor Express, and
Amazing sighting, well done Condor Express crew!