8 gray whales (4 x mom-calf pairs); plus dolphins
Two trips today: 9am and high noon. Both trips had great weather and sea conditions and cetacean sightings. On the morning adventure we caught up with 2 different gray whale cow-calf pairs along the kelp beds. The calf rolled around, did a lot of stopping to enjoy its little self, then onward ho! A short run on the outside did not yield any herds of common dolphins or humpback whales today. By coincidence, on the 12 noon trip, we also found 2 gray whale cow-calf pairs, the second of which was watched up near UCSB. Similar baby-whale antics were observed. Then, around the corner, in the massive kelp forests of Isla Vista, we encountered a hunting pod of inshore bottlenose dolphins. The were in the midst of the kelp for quite a while but then eventually the lure of the Condor Express and its wonderful bow wake along with a throng of humans was too much and the pod came out of the kelp to play for a while.
All in all it was a spectacular day.
We will keep an eye on the approaching late late season rain storm, but hope to run a 9am and 12 noon trip on Saturday. You never know what old man Weather has in store ! When in doubt, call the SEA Landing to confirm.
Bob Perry Condor Express
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