2021 03-24 SB COAST & CHANNEL
Regular readers of my will report will notice report headers that state we were exploring the coast (northbound gray whale season) or the Channel (the rest of the year). So, just to quickly explain the combo header today, there were two trips: Capt Dave ran out into the Channel on the 9 o’clock trip, and Capt Colton ran the coastal zone on his 12 noon trip. The good news: seas were calm, skies were blue, and there were plenty of things to see out there. Totals for the day included 2 humpback whales, 3 gray whales, 1 Minke whale, and 25 long-beaked common dolphins.
In the morning, Captain Dave ran up the coast, circled around outside, and then continued out into the middle of the Channel where he located 2 very cooperative humpback whales. The pair was boat friendly, had short dive cycles, and the two were together throughout their dives.
On the noon trip, a single, very friendly Minke whale (see Minke photo above) popped up right next to the boat when we were 4 miles out from the harbor. It had short dive times and kept us company for about a half an hour. Captain Colton then headed further offshore and located three gray whales. All three stayed together and had synchronized, short dives. Heading back towards the harbor, a very small pod of common dolphins found the Condor Express about 2 miles from shore and escorted us back home.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor express, and CondorExpressPhotos.com
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