Image: a humpback whale launches a massive breach in the fog.
2024 07-30 SB Channel
Captain Dave and the crew report foggy conditions in The Channel today. For variety, there were some patches that were so dense you could not see the bow of the Condor Express. While another areas you can see for a few miles under the gray stratus layer. When we got out towards the island it got really thick. There was a gently rolling 4 foot swell with a light breeze at times. Sightings for the day included 1 humpback whale, 3000 common dolphins, 150 offshore bottlenose dolphins, and 2 large ocean sunfish (Mola mola).
Our track today took us southwest towards The Buoy, then east for many miles until we turned south into The Lanes. Dolphins were around all day, starting just 3 miles off The Mesa. They were all moving west, in travel mode. After we rounded The Buoy and headed east, we were visited by a large pod of very animated offshore bottlenose dolphins. There was a lot of high-flying leaps, surfing our waves and generally being very friendly. There were lots of mothers with calves in this pod. How delightful.
Soon thereafter, we found a nice sized pod of very active common dolphins. Perhaps this cool damp and foggy environment has stimulated these animals? The common dolphins also did a lot of jumping and leaping. Often they were flopped down under the water after a jump and make a big noisy splash…a belly flop!
On our continued eastward trek Dave spotted a breach in the distance. It turned out to be a single humpback whale it was migrating west in the fog. (See today’s photograph for an example of a foggy breach by a humpback whale).
We slowed to watch 2 ocean sunfish today. One of them was fairly cooperative because it stayed on the surface. However while it was up, it swam around in circles.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
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