2016 06-07 SB Channel
Captain Dave started the day with a large area of scattered long-beaked common dolphins. About 300 of these little cetaceans were not far offshore from Santa Barbara Harbor. Nearby the first of three humpback whales was moving fast and staying down a long time. Our next stop was in The Lanes.
One blue whale quickly became two, then five with many more in the area. These giants were feeding/searching at depth and coming up to swim circles and breathe regularly. A couple individuals were regular tail flukers and this is always fun to see. A second humpback was searching around in the same area.
Dave ran over to the western end of Santa Cruz Island for his tour of the sea cliffs and a ride inside the world-famous Painted Cave. The ocean surface was like everywhere else in the Channel today: flat and glassy. One difference however was that the Cave was full of pelagic red crabs, not purple sailor jellies. Upon leaving the Cave and Island, a third humpback whale was watched and two large fin whales joined the sighting. The humpback, not to out done by the huge body size of the fins, breached very close to the boat three times in a row. That put the final punctuation on the day, and this report.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express
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