2018 11-17 SB Channel The Condor Express crew took advantage of pristine ocean conditions and located, then closely watched, 6+ humpback whales and 1000 long-beaked common dolphins. Many of the whales were friendly and came up to the boat to visit their fan club. The action began only 6 miles southwest of Santa Barbara Harbor as an area, rich with …
Humpback calf steals the show. Lots of other whales and dolphins.
2018 11-14 SB Channel On a completely “mill pond” flat and sunny day, the crew of the Condor Express located and closely watched 7+ humpback whales and 2000 long-beaked common dolphins. Among the whales was Scarlet and what we now believe to be her not-newborn calf. The humpback calf stole the show. It took about 45 minutes for us to …
Great luck with very friendly humpbacks and dolphins.
2018 11-11 SB Channel For the most part it was sunny and warm in the Santa Barbara Channel today albeit moderately smoky. We had great luck with wildlife and closely watched six humpback whales and 2000 long-beaked common dolphins. Not far outside the harbor, the first group of about 500 dolphins located us. The surface was mirror-glass, the water was …
All 4 northern Channel Islands were seen, plus whales and dolphins too.
2018 11-10 SB Channel The views afforded as we traversed the Santa Barbara Channel included seeing all 4 northern Channel Islands, a major smoke plume above Bony Ridge from the Malibu fire, and otherwise very calm seas with lots of mirror glass in the morning. Spouts from the 4 humpback whales we closely watched hung in the air like mist. …
10 whales, one goes berserk with kelping episode
2018 11-08 SB Channel Once again crystal clear, cobalt blue, water and calm seas prevailed in the central Santa Barbara Channel. Closely watched species and numbers included 10 humpback whales, 2000 long-beaked common dolphins, and a whale that went berserk with a long episode of kelping. Not long after departing the harbor and stopping for mandatory sea lion viewing on …
2018 11-07 SB Channel West It was a nice sunny day in the Santa Barbara Channel, the surface was glassy but with a little bit of bump from winds far to the west. Sightings included 7 humpback whales, 1500 long-beaked common dolphins, 100 California sea lions and 1 research Saildrone. An interesting surprise visit took place just before the boat …
Scarlet, a bunch of whales and over 1000 dolphins.
2018 11-04 SB Channel Captain Tasha and her crew ran a southwesterly course and ended up about 8 miles south of UCSB. It was glassy, calm and sunny all day. Total sightings included 5 humpback whales and 1500 long-beaked common dolphins. We encountered and watched Scarlet again, among the other whales today. Scarlet and her friend were the first whales …
We once again found Scarlet and a sailing research drone.
2018 11-03 SB Channel Marvelous conditions prevailed throughout the western Santa Barbara Channel: no wind, clear skies and warm sun. Captain Dave and the crew of the Condor Express closely watched 8 humpback whales, 2000 Long-beaked common dolphins, and one very unusual sailing research drone! Among the whales, we once again found Scarlet. As we moved west, and a few …
5 humpbacks and one breached twice…plus dolphins
2018 10-28 SB Channel Patchy fog in the early morning had cleared to bright blue skies for the duration of our excursion into the Santa Barbara Channel today. Captain Tasha and the crew of the Condor Express headed south towards Santa Cruz Island, but were stopped by wildlife from north of The Lanes and west to the mid-Channel NOAA buoy. …
Curious twist on friendly humpback behavior
2018 10-27 SB Channel Captain Dave and the crew of the Condor Express ran across the channel to Santa Cruz Island finding patchy dense fog along the way. Sightings included: 25 Risso’s dolphins, 1000 long-beaked common dolphins, and 2 humpback whales. After a great look at 25 Risso’s dolphins, Dave worked along the face of the island and brought the …
