Image: A wide-angle view of a giant blue whale with the entire body visible from right to left.
2024 06-29 SB Channel
Captain Dave and the crew reported ideal conditions for whale watching today. Although there was a high light gray marine layer, the ocean surface was dead calm and with a few ripples from time to time. Our totals for closely-watched cetaceans today included: 15+ giant blue whales, 1000 common dolphins, 1 humpback whale, and 1 fin whale.
Our first encounter with dolphins occurred just one mile off the beach. There were two small pods with about 100 animals each. We drove by slowly and they came to the boat from time to time to play. Continuing south, in the mid-Channel area, we found a couple of larger pods. Later, when we got on the whales, dolphins were around most of the time in small numbers.
The giant whale aggregation moved west a little bit from yesterday’s location. There were whale spouts all around in large numbers, especially as you looked to the east. We estimated at least 30 whales in this area, and we had time to closely watch about 15. Within the group, we also found one large fin whale.
There was one peculiar and friendly 60 foot juvenile blue whale that kept coming to the boat and mugging us. It mug us, dove deep for a while, came back and mugged us again, etc. Each time it swam slowly up and down both sides of the boat, passed under the bow, and spent time with its rostrum in our jet wash. We lost track of the friendly juvenile while watching other whales. Out of nowhere it came back to mug us a third time. Unbelievable.
On the way home we stopped to watch a humpback whale.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Condor Express, and