The Humpback whale and Minke whale show.
The humpback whale and Minkes show.
Although the seas were extremely calm and nice today, there was a tiny bit of fog to make whale spouting more challenging. However the sharp eyes and steel perseverance of the crew of the Condor Express quickly got into the sweet spot of northeastern Channel cetaceans today. After being tailed by at least 600 common dolphins, a lone humpback emerged from the semi-fog, and everyone got fantastic looks. This was not one of the “regular” humpbacks we’ve been seeing, so some may speculate that they are still flowing into the area. After quality time with the humpback whale, the boat found itself being circled by at least 5 Minke whales, some swimming around us in pairs. We spent nearly an hour with these smallest of the baleen whales leading naturalist Valerie to say it was her all time best Minke sighting in the Channel. And that’s sayin’ something!
The schedule for tomorrow, Fri Sept 20 will change and the open public whale watch has been moved to a 100-530pm trip. Many of us believe that the humpbacks get more frisky in the afternoon. C’mon out and see for yourself!
Best Bob Perry Condor Express
#commondolphins #humpbackwhales #minkewhales #SantaBarbaraChannel