2022 05-25 SB Channel
Oh boy! It was mill pond glass flat all day in the Channel. And…that spectacular clear water I wrote about yesterday is still with us. Only one slight challenge. We had 2 to 3-mile visibility with the marine layer near the deck. Sightings were phenomenal once again: 200 California sea lions, 6 humpback whales, 600 long-beaked common dolphins, 1 Minke whale, 1 blue shark, 75+ ocean sunfish (Mola mola), and 5 floating balloons were picked-up, too.
Three miles out brought us into a small pod of dolphins, but really nice to see in this clear water. A bit later we had fleeting looks at a single Minke whale, and soon thereafter a single blue shark on the surface.
Eight miles out we followed a larger pod of dolphins with wonderful looks at them.
On the north end of the northbound shipping lane, we watched 4 individual humpback whales. They were about 3/4 – mile apart so…”one spout leads to another!” The first whale was a small juvenile. The third whale did a couple of surface lunges in anchovy schools.
After a nice tour of the world-famous Painted Cave on Santa Cruz Island, we found a humpback mother with her calf north of the lanes. The mom was very large and friendly, and swam around on her back a few times.
Throughout the Channel we saw small groups of sea lions from 10 to 20 individuals per group.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry Condor Express, and
CondorExpressPhotos.com
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