Image: killer whale in the Santa Barbara Channel
2024 05-12 SB Channel
Captain Eddy and the crew ran straight outhwest from Santa Barbara Harbor to areas just south of The Lanes, adjacent to the East End of Santa Rosa Island. The ocean surface was once again mirror glass flat. There was no swell, and no wind. A heavy marine layer was present again today but had lifted up a bit off the water so lateral visibility was 7 or 8 miles. Sightings for the day included: 3 killer whales, 5 humpback whales, 10 common dolphins, and a dozen California sea lions.
The first sighting of the day was a trio of killer whales which we found 10 miles offshore in an area just northwest of The Buoy. It was a female, her calf, and another juvenile. They had eight minute downtimes during which they often swam at least a quarter of a mile. This kept the crew on its toes! They were actively feeding on a California sea lion. They made several close passes to the boat, and on one occasion, the little juvenile appeared to bring the carcass over to the bow of the Condor Express for a bit of show and tell. Was it bragging? Was it a gift? Lots of questions…
Moving about 5 miles southwest, we were in the Separation Zone where we found a total of five humpback whales. At first it was 4 and then another one came and joined the group later. All of them were adults. We had good flucking-up by all of them. There was a lot of trumpet vocalization going on. Otherwise they appeared to be milling around on the surface.
On the way home, we saw a very small pod of dolphins. And later, just a mile off of Ledbetter Beach, we found a raft of about a dozen California sea lions.
You’ve never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Condor Express,and
Awesome!