2015 07-15 SB Channel
Skies were overcast until we reached the shipping lanes off Santa Cruz Island later in the trip, after which it was sunny and bright. The seas started off moderate and dropped along with the low clouds as the day progressed. Total close sightings for today included 10 humpback whales and 2,500 long-beaked common dolphins. Here are the details:
We “fell in love” with three spread out humpback whales around 1045 am and 6 miles south of Santa Barbara Harbor. The #whales were mixed in with 1,000 or so #dolphins and all the animals swam in clockwise circles with the Condor Express following along and getting good looks. No special humpback tricks were observed. A bit before noon we moved further offshore.
Just after noon we found another area with whales and dolphins. This cluster included an additional three humpbacks and 500 or more dolphins. A few very nice tail flukes were seen from members of this grouping. At 1230pm we headed further offshore.
Almost immediately we found another two humpback whales about a mile from the last group. We did not stop and pressed onward to the south. Around 1 pm we found a hot spot with over 1,000 dolphins mixed in with crash-diving elegant terns, California sea lions and two more humpback whales. These two were easy to tell apart. One was a tail flicker and the other a whitey pecs. At this juncture in the excursion the sun was fully out and things were getting some bright colors. We milled around this hot spot and took in all the sights for about 45 minutes until it was time to go home. It was a pleasant trip.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express