Sunny, glassy, lots of dolphins and some very active humpbacks.

Image: an adult humpback whale is shown rolling around like a windmill.

2025 10–19 SB Channel

Captain Eddy and the crew took the Condor Express SSE until we ended up looking at platform Habitat to the N of us. Seas were glassy most of the day, skies were clear, and a small bump from the west made life interesting. Totals: 400 common dolphins, 3 humpback whales and 100 California sea lions.

A pod of about 400 dolphins located the Condor Express when we were W of the rigs. They were spread out over a wide area and appeared to be feeding at times.

Continuing SE, it was not long until we had our attention focused on a breaching humpback whale. We slowly approached and spent over an hour with this very active beast. It was an adult and, in addition to breaching repeatedly, it slapped its pecs, slapped its chin and did some rolling. (See today’s photo for an example).

We moved past Habitat and found a pair of very social humpbacks. They were in close proximity, swimming side-by-side while touching bodies. They were occasional aggressive: tail flukes in the air and a lot of splashing around. Their dives were long and their course was erratic.

Not long after we turned N to head home, we came across a large raft of California sea lions. Always fun to see these animals together in the sunshine looking so serene.

You never know what mother nature has in store.

Bob Perry

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