Summer cetacean extravaganza
2019 06-28 SB Channel
The summer cetacean extravaganza continued again today! How much longer can this be sustained? Skies were sunny and the ocean was flat. Total sightings for the trip included 9+ humpback whales, 3000 long-beaked common dolphins, and 50 pelagic bottlenose dolphins. On the way across to Santa Cruz Island, our first whale was located about 5 miles south of a Campus Point. Big groups of dolphins were surrounding this whale. Dolphins were everywhere today. Continuing east, a second batch of whales was located north of the lanes. There were six of them in total, working in groups of two and three. We watch these whales for quite a while. In the distance we saw several whales breaching, as well as slapping their long pectoral flippers. As we start to move across the lanes, the eagle eyes of our deckhand and second captain, Colton, spotted a nice herd of offshore bottlenose dolphins. These larger beasts are highly animated and are always a real treat to see. Our next stop was a nice visit to the worlds longest sea cave, the Painted Cave, on Santa Cruz Island. Captain Dave skillfully maneuvered the Condor Express inside the first chamber. Wow! On the way home, when we were about 5 miles out from the harbor, we found two single whales. One of them turned out to be our old pal Scarlet. She, too, was surrounded by dolphins. She did come by the boat for a nice look at us.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express, and