2017 08-23 SB Channel
Captain Eric and the crew of the Condor Express had a beast of a day! 8 giant blue whales and 2 fin whales were seen today through crystal clear Santa Barbara cobalt blue water. Seas were calm and a light breeze kicked up in the afternoon.
The Lanes north of the eastern end of Santa Cruz Island once again proved to be the productive hot spot for the beasts. I say “beasts” because the 1st and 2nd place winners for the “Largest Animal That Ever Lived” Award were exactly what we watched closely today: blue whales and fin whales! Eric pointed out that the first giant blue seen was REALLY gigantic. It was much longer than the Condor Express, as anyone on board could tell because it logged alongside for several minutes. It also had a curious “figure eight” swimming pattern.
Later, and a bit to the east, our deckhand spotted the little calf Tasha named “Wave.” Again the little thing mugged the boat and did all sorts of tricks that are more common among humpback whales than blues. Steve confirms that Wave put on a “30 minute show.” (And once again Yours Tuly missed it. Sigh.) The much larger mother soon joined Wave and the two dove for a while before returning to the Condor Express.
A little further to the east more blue whales were closely watched and a mother fin whale and her calf were also in the zone. The 25-foot long fin whale calf was almost as friendly as Wave (the blue calf), and spent a lot of time close to our hulls. The cobalt clear water made it all pop.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Yours Truly, Bob Perry Condor Express