2015 10-03 SB Channel
The wildlife moved north about 15 miles from where we had it yesterday and that was a good thing for a couple of reasons. First, it was close to home and we could spend more time with the animals, and second, the sea conditions were much nicer near shore. Deckhand “ojo del águila” Auggie spotted spouts about 20 minutes out of the Harbor. Here we found 5 out of the 6 humpback whales that we would watch for over 2 hours. Mixed in the humpbacks were 4 Minke whales and at least 20 Pacific white-sided dolphins. Several of the humpback whales came over and swam under the Condor Express in that cobalt clear water we’ve been having. One whale breached, a single random act, near the boat. The white-sided dolphins were Chris Matthews fans and were playing “hardball.” Actually they did not spend any time on the surface or come play with the boats as it appeared they were feeding most of the day.
Later in the trip we found at least an acre of very small rockfish dead and floating on the surface. It looks like by-catch from a bottom trawler that got shoveled over the side. Lucky us. The humpbacks, Minkes and white-sided dolphins were fantastic, and the day was a huge amount of fun.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express