2021 11-11 SB Channel
From Santa Barbara Harbor southwest to the pristine waters off Carrington Point, Santa Rosa Island, blue skies and calm seas prevailed. Air temperatures near 80F were recorded in town. Sightings included 20 Dall’s porpoise, 1500 long-beaked common dolphins, 800 short-beaked common dolphins and 3 humpback whales. The crew also removed 1 deflated helium Mylar balloon from the ocean surface.
The action started only 4 miles out from SB Harbor when we spotted a few small scattered groups of long-beaked common dolphins. As we watched, a single juvenile whale came up and we proceeded to watch it too. It was a businesslike whale with long down and short up times.
Captain Dave and the crew relocated the boat to a point 6 miles or so south of UCSB where large concentrations of dolphins and 2 more humpback whales were found and watched closely. One of the whales has previously been identified and named “Diamond.” It is a cosmopolitan cetacean with sightings off Honduras too.
Heading southwest on a course towards Santa Rosa we watched a high speed pod of Dall’s porpoise. (FYI they are almost always “high speed”). The group approached the Condor Express a few times and rode our bow! Yay!
South of The Lanes and adjacent to Carrington Point we witnessed a very large stampede of short-beaked common dolphins that churned up the water and did not slow down during our watch period.
On the way home…more long-beaks!
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express, and CondorExpressPhotos.com
Comments