2017 04-08 SB Coast
Wise Captain Dave studied the marine forecasts and wind models before he decided to run only the 9am trip today. His goal was to ride the calm before the storm winds which were supposed to accompany a cold front moving through to the north of us. Sure enough, his strategy paid dividends and the morning excursion was fantastic. The winds held off until just after we finished the trip and reached the safety of Santa Barbara Harbor. Total sightings for the day included 4 gray whales and 2 humpback whales.
The four gray whales were encountered just off the old lighthouse and, for a while, the Condor Express ran slowly west with a pair of gray whales following along on each side of the boat. Great looks were had by all. After the gray whale encounter Dave moved out to deeper water in hopes of locating a herd of dolphins to finish the trip. What he found instead was much better.
The grande finale for this adventure was a pair of humpback whales. Dave said it looked like a mother and a yearling. Soon after coming into their zone, the little one breached more than a dozen times, including some rather near our bow. Research has shown that juvenile humpback whales need to breach in order to increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of their muscle tissues (through the chemical myoglobin). What a show!
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express
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