11 gray whales + 150 common dolphins
Our grand finale coastal gray whale excursions were epic. On the 9am trip there was a gentle breeze and the slightly bumpy surface near Santa Barbara Harbor quickly flattened out to gently rolling swells as we rounded Santa Barbara Point. Before long, near Hendry’s Beach, we began to find mother and calf gray whales…. 5 in all (2 pairs plus one solo juvenile). The whales today were pretty much all “business” heading back to Alaskan waters. After spending time with the whales, we pushed offshore and were greeted by at least 150 common dolphins.
At noon 6 more gray whales (3 mothers with calves) were watched as we ran down east towards the Summerland coast. One pair was actually migrating through the East Beach open anchorage and dodging a lot of small boat traffic on the way. The wind was starting to fill in a bit towards the end of this cruise.
Tomorrow we are off the the Channel Islands for our new season of Island Whale Watching.
Will there be humpback whales, blue whales, fin whales, Minke whales, Risso’s dolphins, Dall’s porpoise or other species? You never know what Mother Nature has in store…
Bob Perry Condor Express
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