Special things often happen when the wind and swell picks up.
- Bob Perry
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
2026 05–16 SB Channel
The trifecta: big swell, big chop, and strong winds, gave us a rare opportunity to watch the interaction between ocean conditions and animals. The view was phenomenal. There were 5 spouts in the separation zone: 2 of them were humpback whales, and 2 of them were giant fin whales. We also saw about 600 common dolphins.
Captain Dave and the crew ran straight S and then did everything he could to navigate the sea conditions and ensure as smooth as possible ride. 2 adult humpback whales had long surface times and appeared to be resting a bit before sounding. They were close to the boat and we had good looks. One of them kicked up its tail and went for a terminal dive. We expected we would not see it again for 8 or 10 minutes. That proved to be an invalid assumption and moments later the beast rose out of the ocean like a Polaris missile. It was an unexpected full-body breach. (See today’s photo for an example). Back on the surface, the same whale did some half-hearted breaches which would fall more into the Spyhop category. Between these episodes, there were a lot of nice pec slaps that were really enhanced by the wind, visually speaking.
As mentioned in the first paragraph, there were more spouts all around us. The closest, about ½ mile away, turned out to be 2 full grown adult fin whales… estimated at 70 feet. The pair spent a lot of time close to the Condor Express and had long resting times on the surface. Note: the 2 additional spouts in their distance were never identified due to the conditions.
On the way home, accelerated at times by the following seas, we saw scattered common dolphin groups of all sizes, and even a couple of small birdnados. There were plenty of waves kicked up by the wind for the dolphins to have an epic surf session.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
