Friendly humpbacks and a friendly Minke whale
Out on the eastern Santa Barbara Channel feeding grounds we watched at least 6 humpback whales in total plus a Minke whale. Things started off with a cluster of 5 humpback whales diving and showing great tail flukes…perhaps feeding below the surface was their prime objective. 4 of the 5 came near the boat and we had great looks. Of that foursome, 1 mugged the Condor Express for over 1.5 hours. Behaviors included a head stand, some pectoral slaps, spy hopping, and tail throws…all very close to the Condor. Towards the end of these sightings a VERY LARGE humpback came through the area and investigated the action including some close encounters with the boat. At one point its tails flukes were on the port side and its head was clearly visible on the starboard side…it was a big one. There was also a bit of unusual interspecific interaction today as a lone Minke whale surfaced amidst the initial group of #humpback whales, and proceeded to approach the boat and exhibited the same curiosity as its distant cousins, the humpies. There was even an instance of the Minke whale speeding along the surface right over the top of the humpbacks that were submerged only a few feet. It was a marvelous and very unique day.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store Bob Perry Condor Express
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