Tropical atmospheric conditions are a backdrop to 3000 dolphins and 4 humpback whales today.

2021 07-19 SB Channel

A strange, humid, subtropical air mass moved across California and brought us some warm drizzle this morning along with beautiful cloud formations. The sun quickly broke through and it remained sunny for the duration of the whale watch. The ocean surface was flat, calm and slightly rippled (Beaufort 1). Sightings for the trip included 4 humpback whales and 3000 long-beaked common dolphins.

The action was southwest of Santa Barbara and never too far offshore. We were east of Platform Holly when the first two whales were encountered amongst a continual parade of dolphin pods that went on all day. Whale #1 was a juvenile and it made a couple of very close, friendly approaches. The second whale was an adult.

Moving west and ending up just 5 miles south of UCSB, the seemingly endless dolphin pods yielded two more whales. It was a mother humpback and her calf. The little calf caught our attention with some distant breaching. On the scene the little whale did a bit of rolling around on the surface.

You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express, and CondorExpressPhotos.com