Stunning views of the western Gaviota coast with lots of whales and dolphins too.

2019 08-23 SB Channel Far West

The high stratus layer burned off and things got really nice around noon. Seas were relatively calm and just fine for locating and watching wildlife. Today we closely watched 8 humpback whales, 2 Minke whales and 1500 long-beaked common dolphins. Our travels today (as shown in the attached AIS chart from MarineTraffic.com) took us past Holly, past Hondo and very close to Platform Harmony in the wild and wonderful western Gaviota area.

The dolphins were around everywhere we went, starting just south of Campus Point. In addition to dolphins, we watched two Minke whales at this location. Captain Dave and the crew continued west and everyone got fabulous looks at the pristine Gaviota coastline with its grasslands, avocado farms and ranches.

Near Harmony there were 6+ humpback whales spread across a wide area. All of them were feeding sub-surface and spent short intervals between dives on the surface to breathe. Additional whales were seen in binoculars. On the way back to the harbor, we encountered 2 more humpbacks just east of Hondo.

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