Majestic fin whales were watched in a big swell and a fresh breeze.
- Bob Perry
- 5 days ago
- 1 min read
Image: a giant fin whale is seen navigating the waves and wind of the Santa Barbara Channel. Note that the species diagnostic feature, a white lower right jaw, is visible. (See short note about this jaw color at end of report).
2026 05–17 SB Channel
It was a partly sunny day with a 6 foot ground swell made more complicated by a 3 to 4 foot wind chop (from overnight gale force winds). A 15kt breeze was blowing the tops off the waves. Let’s just say the air was fresh. Captain Eddy returned to the hotspot near the lanes, E of the buoy, which was productive yesterday. Total sightings for the day: 4 giant fin whales, and 100 common dolphins.
Our first encounter was with the first 2 of the fin whales. They had relatively short dives which gave us some splendid looks (see today’s photo for an example). Moving just a little bit E, we found a second pair. All of them were moving at a pretty good pace to the W, directly into the oncoming seas.
On the way home, several birdnados composed of gulls, terns, and sooty shearwaters, led us into a nice session with a small pod of common dolphins. They were friendly and did a bit of surfing in our waves.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
NOTE: White lower right jaw (left side is dark gray)- This is a rare baleen whale asymmetry, and it even extends to the color of the baleen plates inside the mouth. It is thought to have evolved to increase feeding productivity.
