2022 05-22 SB Channel Hazy sun, calm seas and a light breeze made for a great way to “beat the heat” with some great wildlife sightings too.  Closely watched species: 10 offshore bottlenose dolphins and 6+ humpback whales. In the southbound lanes, near the site of yesterdays encounters, Captain Devin and the headed for a distant breach and found 6 … Read More

2022 05-21 SB Channel The early morning stratus cleared as we left the harbor. Wind and sea conditions were great for today’s whale watch. Closely watched species included: 50 short-beaked common dolphins, 40 California sea lions, 7 humpback whales and 130 offshore bottlenose dolphins. Near the East Santa Barbara NOAA buoy a small group of about 50 actively feeding common … Read More

2022 05-20 SB Channel The weather and sea conditions were great for today’s whale watch. Sightings: 4 Pacific gray whales. Captain Dave and the crew of the Condor Express ran across the entire Santa Barbara Channel and into the Santa Cruz Channel, between Santa Cruz Island and our final destination for today, beautiful Santa Rosa Island. Our rather lengthy voyage, … Read More

2022 05-18 SB Channel It was a hazy, sunny day with little wind and moderate seas in our neck of the Channel today. Closely-watched species included: 6 coastal bottlenose dolphins, 1200 long-beaked common dolphins, 50 Pacific white-sided dolphins and 2 humpback whales. The coastal bottlenose dolphins were sighted at the mouth of the harbor and we followed them for a … Read More

2022 05-15 SB Channel Skies were overcast with a west bump left over from winds offshore. The bump subsided and skies got sunny mid-trip. Our closely-watched specie: 5 humpback whales. Captain Devin and the crew headed towards the west end of Santa Cruz Island and found our first 2 whales south of the NOAA East Channel Buoy (see:  https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_realtime.php?station=46053 ). … Read More

2022 05-14 SB Channel Skies were sunny and there was no wind. A morning bump left from overnight winds offshore subsided mid-trip. Totals for the day included: 1 blue shark, 1 ocean sunfish (Mola mola), 3 humpback whales and 3000 long-beaked common dolphins. Fish stories: Our first wildlife encounter was with a very calm and surface-dwelling blue shark. It was … Read More

2022 05-12 SB Channel Skies were sunny and it was a “tale of two Channels.” Our return to 4 ½ hour trips began with calm seas near the mainland and bumpier seas in the southern side of the Channel. Sightings were good: 1000 short-beaked common dolphins, 800 long-beaked common dolphins, 2 humpback whales and 1 bald eagle. Captain Dave ran … Read More

2022 05-07 SB Coast Skies were sunny and there was little to no wind. The morning trip encountered some residual bumpy seas from strong winds overnight, but by the noon excursion they had diminished quite a bit. Sightings were in the same general location on both trips: about 4 miles offshore from the harbor. Sightings were also very good: 7 … Read More

2022 05-06 SB Coast Two public whale watch excursions departed Santa Barbara Landing today, a morning trip and an afternoon adventure. The marine weather was very good with sunny skies and no wind all day. Sightings for the day included: 4 humpback whales, 1 Minke whale, 3600 long-beaked common dolphins and 200 California sea lions. As we departed the harbor … Read More

2022 05-05 SB Coast Captain Dave and the crew of the Condor Express found nice conditions for wildlife locating and viewing in the Santa Barbara Channel today. There was a high stratus layer with little to no wind. A small, 3-foot, long period swell passed through from the west. Sightings included: 5 humpback whales, 12 long-beaked common dolphins and 100 … Read More