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Mother fin whale and her calf, a half dozen blue whales plus dolphins too

2018 07-22 SB Channel East

The giants were assembled on the grounds again today in larger numbers.  The hot spot was north of the eastern end of Santa Cruz Island, south of The Lanes.  Captain Tasha and her crew located 6+ blue whales, 3 fin whales, and 200 long-beaked common dolphins.  Skies were sunny all day. The air was subtropical.  A moderate westerly wind greeted us on the way across the Santa Barbara Channel in the morning, but on the way home the wind became much stronger.  I personally love watching the tall spouts of the giant whales as it interacts with the wind.

The dolphins were located a few miles out from Santa Barbara Harbor in the morning, and it was a nursery pod.  Loads of tiny dolphins were riding alongside their mothers, some swam away from the main herd for a few yards together, and others had fun surfing the bow, side and stern waves of the Condor Express.

By noon we had located the zone and were closely watching the first of 6 giant blue whales.  There were more in the area, perhaps 10 in total.  One of the blues surfaced quite close to the boat.  Another fluked-up for us twice.  Amidst all the blues there were three fin whales. A pair of fins swam very close to the boat and turned out to be a mother fin whale and her calf.  What a great sight to see:  the pair busting through the waves.

You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express, and CondorExpressPhotos.com

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