2019 08-06 SB Channel
The crew of the Condor Express battled dense, down-to-the-deck, fog all day and yet they were victorious in their quest for wildlife. There was little to no wind, but that pernicious little bump from the west continued from earlier this week. Sightings included: 2000 long-beaked common dolphins in the fog, and 3 humpback whales in the fog.
Captain Dave and the crew ran to the far west, past Holly and ended up southeast of Hondo. A small window of bright light and improved visibility, known as a “sucker hole” in Alaskan waters, gave the first looks at dolphins. Most of the dolphin groups were small, or at least that was what we could see near the boat. Later, after running offshore and to the east, a 1-mile line of at least 1500 dolphins was encountered.
We continued east to a position near Habitat, where a single whale (Scarlet) and two other even large adults were watched. During this magical encounter one of the larger animals did a monstrous tail throw. All three whales did a considerable amount of vocalizing: mostly trumpet blows. There was plenty of rolling around during these “talkative” periods, and another large whale did an unexpected, large vertical surface lunge on a now extinct bait ball. After a while Scarlet made a bee-line for the Condor Express and swam up and down the port side very close as everyone on board showered her with adorations. Soon after, the remaining two whales also came close and got friendly. Superb!
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express, and CondorExpressPhotos.com
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