More great humpback whale action to the west.
- Bob Perry
- 21 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Image: A chin-slapping humpback whale.
2026 03–03 SB Channel
A single 2 1/2 hour trip left the docks at 9 AM with mostly sunny skies, no wind, and a light bump on the water (much calmer than yesterday). Humpback whales were still present around platform Holly, near the UCSB campus. Totals for the day: 9 humpback whales and 1000 common dolphins.
A megapod of common dolphins were circling around the area and led us to the first 3 whales of the day. They had short down times and were cooperative about showing their tail flukes. A small birdnado got going and the dolphins invested some quality time. This attracted 5 whales, 2 pairs and a single.
Captain Dave pointed out the last humpback of the day which was quite a distance from the Condor Express. We could clearly see that it was chin-slapping (see today’s photo for example), and lobbing it’s tail on the surface… great way to punctuate the trip.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
