Minke whales breaching a bunch. Captain Dave and the Crew of the Condor Express motored out towards the southern Channel today to search for that elusive mother-calf humpback whale pair that has been entertaining the fans off and on for about a month. The farther we ran south, the worse the sea conditions got. Prudence over valor led the crew to decide on heading east and northeast to much calmer waters.
Before making the turn to the east however, a Minke whale breached several times then sounded. Then it popped up and breached over there, then sounded and popped up again hither an yon. It was a very active Minke whale. Onward to the east and northeast we went. Lo and behold, many many miles from the original breaching mysticete, we caught a glimpse of a second breaching Minke whale. Same modus operandi as the first. Breach a bunch, sound, the start breaching in the other direction. Whew, it was wearing our necks out! But what a treat it was to see these sleak baleen whales getting airborne.
Throughout the trip there was an unusually high abundance of common dolphins. Nobody has a way of being scientific about these estimates, but when Captain Dave says 4,000 were observed today, this is based on his many years as a professional cetacean spotter all over the world.
Come on out while this great sunny weather lasts!
Bob Perry Condor Express