2015 04-17 SB Coast
Captain Dave used the mirror glass and sunny conditions that persisted until around 130pm to mesmerize the whale watch fans on the Condor Express with some great sightings today.
9am. We ran a bit west of Santa Barbara Harbor to find a mother gray whale and her calf. The calf spy-hopped a few times which gave everyone a smile. Not far outside there was a pod of at least 200 long-beaked common dolphins spread out off the Mesa. Back inside there were about 10 bottlenose #dolphins and they took a great interest in the boat.
12pm. As we ran through the East Beach anchorage we got a single but sustained look at a very robust sea lion. Dave firmly believes it was a Stellar. A bit further east we encountered a quad pod which consisted of 2 mother-calf gray #whale pairs. By now the glassy conditions were changing a bit due to a light breeze on the water. After a nice visit with the gray whales we moved offshore and located a large pod of long-beaked common dolphins. There were at least 500 animals in this pod and most of this group consisted of mother dolphins and tiny calves…a nursery pod.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express