Lots of action up near the campus.
- Bob Perry
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Image: a sideways lunge-feeding humpback whale.
2026 08–14 SB Channel
Captain Dave and the crew worked a honey hole about 5 miles offshore, between Campus Point and Coal Oil Point. Seas were calm with a very light breeze in the afternoon. Skies had a thin marine layer and quickly cleared to bright sun. Total sightings for the day: 2000 common dolphins, 4 humpback whales (we closely watched 3), 50 California sea lions and 2 Minke whales.
We picked up a few dolphins as we passed Campus Point, then found larger pods where all the feeding was going on at Coal Oil Point. There was no bait on the surface today so all of the dolphins and whales were feeding deeper. There were no birdnados, but there were a lot of birds sitting on the water (They do this when the food is deep, or they are already stuffed to the max).
Of the 3 humpback whales that we watched closely, there were 2 juveniles and 1 adult. The adult was very interesting because it was zooming around, at full speed, all over the place, seemingly at random. (At times it looked like it was moving between pods of dolphins). It did a couple of surface lunges (See today’s photograph for an example), and a few half-hearted chin slaps. There were also 2 Minke whales feeding in the area as well as small groups of California sea lions.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
