2022 07-18 SB Channel – East
Skies were partly sunny all day except for a patch of fog near the end of the excursion. Seas were glass flat calm. Sightings included: 3 humpback whales and 2000 long-beaked common dolphins.
We’ve been hopping from dolphin pod to dolphin pod, moving west from the harbor, for the past several weeks. Today, after the dolphins located us about 3 miles out…per usual, Captain Devin found the pods stretched out to the southeast. So, it was eastward, ho!
Before long we located a large adult humpback whale. It was fun to watch because of its very short down times and seemingly slow-motion, tail flukes up, terminal dives. After a nice session with this large beast, we continued heading towards the far northeastern corner of beautiful Santa Cruz Island.
It was in a larger than average dolphin pod that we found, and watched, a wonderful humpback cow-calf pair. Excellent looks were had by all. We left the mother humpback and her calf for a temporary encounter with another large dolphin pod. This time it was a nursery pod, packed with at least 100 cow-calf pairs. As good fortune would guide us, the dolphin nursery pod put us back alongside the mother-calf humpback whale for a second wonderful encounter.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Condor Express, and
CondorExpressPhotos.com
Comments