Perfect conditions for finding and watching six different species of marine mammals.
- Bob Perry
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
Image: a northern anchovy bait ball is seen next to the Condor Express in the clear water of Santa Barbara Channel.
2026 08–04 SB Channel East
Conditions were nicer than last week, and perfect for locating/watching wildlife. Captain Dave reported sunny skies, calm seas, no wind, and crystal clear Santa Barbara cobalt water. We observed 6 different species of marine mammals today: 1800 common dolphins, 6 humpback whales, 2 Minke whales, 15 coastal bottlenose dolphins, 30 offshore bottlenose dolphins and 200 California sea lions.
Just outside the Harbor we had a nice interaction with an average size pod of coastal bottlenose dolphins, before we proceeded to the SE.
Dave and the crew returned to a very active zone that was located about 6 miles SW of Platform Habitat. Most of the observations today were recorded here.
We located this hot spot by its birdnados, spotted at a distance. These were “pop-up” birdnados, that fired-up every time northern anchovy bait balls came close to the surface, within the visual range of the birds. Yet as quickly as they became productive, the anchovies either dove deep, or were decimated, and the birds lost interest. Captain Dave was able to maneuver the Condor Express right up next to one these bait balls on the surface, and everybody got great looks. (See today’s photo for an example).
Of course all this action attracted lots of hungry mammals. First on the scene, as always, were the common dolphins. They were followed by the whales, and then the sea lions.
The humpbacks that we saw today were mostly sub-adults. They were occupied with sub-surface feeding, and only occasionally would show a tail fluke. The whales would move from spot to spot seemingly at random. On several occasions, these random movements resulted in whales surfacing right next to the Condor Express, unintentionally. Remember that all of this action was enhanced by the crystal clear water.
By the time we finished looking at the hotspot we were fairly close to the E end of Santa Cruz Island. Dave took us inside beautiful Potato Harbor. He used the majestic sea cliffs of this natural cove to discuss the various wonders of this island of the Holy Cross.
As we pulled out of Potato and started to head home, we encountered a pod of 30 offshore bottlenose dolphins, the larger and more animated cousins of the coastal that we saw at the beginning of the trip… a great way to finish a very productive day in the Channel.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
