Sunny skies and a very productive day close to the coast.
- Bob Perry
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Image: Condor Express whale fans enjoy a beautiful humpback whale tail-throw in the Santa Barbara Channel.
2026 06–28 SB Channel
For the first time in a week or more we had a sunny day in the channel. Of course the trade-off included some moderate breeze and associated bumpiness. Captain Eddy and the crew stayed close to home and never ventured more than about 6 miles off Hope Ranch. Luckily, there was a very productive hotspot right there. Sightings for the day: 25 coastal bottlenose dolphins, 3000 common dolphins, 8 humpback whales, and 50 California sea lions.
At the mouth of Santa Barbara Harbor, a large pod of at least 25 coastal bottlenose dolphins located the Condor Express. (The total population of coastal bottlenose dolphins is very small as compared to the much more abundant offshore variety that we see from time to time). This pod was extremely friendly and there were countless opportunities for dolphin selfies… another surprising league good reason to come whale watching more often.
After finding the hotspot mentioned above, we spent the rest of the trip right there. Several birdnados were seen, along with several thousand common dolphins. We observed lots of sea lions and 8 humpback whales feeding sub-surface alongside the birds and dolphins. There were adults as well as juvenile whales in the area, and one mother (named Trident after the shape of her dorsal fin) with her calf. (More information about Trident at the end of this report). In addition to feeding and showing good tail flutes from time to time, Trident’s calf did some nice tail-throwing. (See today’s photo for an example).
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Note:
Captain Eddy recognized and identified Trident. Here is information from happywhale.com including her ID number so you can find out more or track her yourself:
CRC-11384
This female has been observed and recorded 19 times since the year 2000. 12 of those records come from the Santa Barbara Channel. She was most recently recorded last week, and has traveled from Santa Barbara in the N, as far south as San Pedrillo, Costa Rica, in the S.
