Two gray whales travel side by side in the breeze. Photo: Bob Perry CondorExpressPhotos.com
Five Gray Whales
Although it was glassy and nice near Santa Barbara Harbor, it was not far offshore that the winds kicked up and we had blown-out whitecaps and spray. Nonetheless the keen eyes of our crew located two gray whales not far off the north face of Santa Cruz Island. Turning east to follow along on the migration route put the seas behind us and made for a calm, warm day.
After great looks at these first two gray whales we quickly scooted inside the world famous Painted Cave which is always a treat. Next we cruised east along the sea cliffs and rugged Santa Cruz coastline and enjoyed the great scenery before pushing back offshore and locating two additional gray whales. Again good looks, but time was short so we headed back towards the harbor.
Around mid-Channel there was another gray whale, a small one with smaller spout. This made our total five gray whales for the trip.
The winds are supposed to subside and the rest of the week looks good.
I’ll get these gray whale shots posted online by Friday. As a side note, today was the first of 4 days in a row with “king tides,” the highest high tides and lowest low “spring” tides of the entire year. In the morning the sea was almost flooding the parking lot, and in the afternoon is was way down. I took some king tide shots in the mix today too.
Hope to see you soon. A happy and safe New Year to all!
Bob Perry Condor Express
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