Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area celebration finds nice humpbacks to celebrate (also dolphins)
Image: mother humpback (on right) with her little calf (left) from today's adventure.
2026 11-25 SB Channel
Today was a special private charter and 3rd year celebration of the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area. Dignitaries such as Jean-Michel Cousteau were on board.
It was another brilliant, calm day in the middle of the Channel today. The sea surface was rippled all day with small glassy patches along oceanic tidal fronts. Hazy but warm sun persisted all day. Captain Eddy and the crew ran SE to locate some whales that our friend Devin on Velella told us about. Sightings today: 4 humpback whales, 25 common dolphins, and some solitary exotic species such as a Mahi mahi, a few flying fish, a mobula and a few distant breaches from a Mako shark. Additionally, our deckhand Isabel removed 3 floating, Mylar balloons from the ocean surface.
10:55a. About 8 miles SE of the harbor we spent over an hour watching tightly packed humpback whales. It was a mother with her calf along with 2 large male escorts. The group was travelling to the E slowly. We watched lots of interaction between mom and her calf, as well as between the 2 males, and males with mom. There were several instances of loud "call and return" trumped vocalizations, some "rushing around," and at least one instance of a single pectoral fin slap, perhaps meant to keep a male away.
In the trip photos you will also note a rather unusual 200m long open hatch bulk carrier "Saga Enterprise." It was in the southbound land headed towards the port of LA/Long Beach. I've never seen such a ship configuration.
Mark identified several of our whales: CRC-15636, also Tiani with her calf, and a male Prime Suspect which a long time ago breached on a kayak...not in Santa Barbara.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
