2016 12-29 SB Channel It was a magical day on the ocean in the Santa Barbara Channel. The sea surface was smooth and you could see all 4 Channel Islands from the mainland. Four different species of marine mammals were watched closely today, including 4 Dall’s porpoise, 4 gray whales, 400 long-beaked common dolphins and a mega-mob of at least … Read More
Summerlike weather with humpback whales and a fin
2016 02-10 SB Channel If I wasn’t peeking at the calendar, I swear I’d have no idea whatsoever what time of year it really is based on the weather and the whales. February is traditionally our coldest and most stormy month of the year. Coastal temperatures have been above 80F for about two weeks with no end in sight. … Read More
Spectacular Gray Whale Migration Continues
A southbound gray whale was seen migrating along the sea cliffs of Santa Cruz Island Spectacular vistas, dolphins and a nice gray whale. Offshore winds and a light rain greeted us this morning in Santa Barbara, but the rain passed by quickly and we remained dry for the rest of the adventure. There were, however, larger squalls offshore that formed … Read More
Special Santa Barbara Channel vistas and whales too.
Special Santa Barbara Channel vistas and whales too. The Santa Barbara Channel was magnificent; slate gray, hardly any wind and spectacular above water vistas. One could see Bony Ridge (Malibu) to Pt. Conception and all four Channel Islands. The day started with a relatively tame common loon that was observed swimming around close to the Condor Express inside Santa Barbara … Read More
North and South Channel Explorations
North and South Channel Explorations Although it was sunny in Santa Barbara Harbor, there was a thin fog bank midway to the Channel Islands. Luckily the islands were magnificent in the bright sun and fresh breeze. As for nature sightings today, we closely watched the same medium sized humpback whale that we’ve had the good fortune of seeing for the … Read More
A Quintet of Humpback Whales and More !
A Quintet of Humpback Whales and More ! The sun was bright and our friend Mark told us he could see humpback whales from his porch near the Mesa in Santa Barbara. We knew this was going to be a good one. Sure enough, less than 4 miles out from Santa Barbara Harbor we located 5 humpback whales which sometimes … Read More
How can Captain Dave pack so much excitement into a single trip?
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: How can Captain Dave pack so much excitement into a single trip? Not too far outside Santa Barbara Harbor we slowed to play with a nice herd of long beaked common dolphins. Eager to press on towards the eastern end of Santa Cruz Island, we left the dolphins and got back on our track. Before … Read More
Only 1 more day of coastal gray whales and we had 7 of ’em + bottlenose
Only 1 more day of coastal gray whales and we had 7 of ’em + bottlenose That’s right. Mother’s Day (tomorrow) will be our last coastal gray whale trip of the 2014 season. Starting Monday we’re back to searching for whales out at the Channel Islands. But with only one day left, boy oh boy, what a trip we had … Read More
10 + 800 + 200 = spectacular whale watching today
10 + 800 + 200 = spectacular whale watching today The Condor Express motored across the Santa Barbara Channel in thick fog. Things were looking bad, but lo and behold, within a mile or so of our destination (Santa Cruz Island), the skies cleared and it was sunny and nice. The first sighting was of a very large, spread out … Read More
Many Mammal Species and a pair of Bald Eagles on Santa Cruz Island
Mirror Glass, Many Mammal Species and a pair of Bald Eagles Today A tiny bit of haze but extremely glassy conditions again today on the Santa Barbara Channel as the Condor Express motored out for another adventure packed trip full of unexpected surprises. The first surprise of the day was a big pod of 15 or more elusive Dall’s … Read More