Image: A humpback tail fluke stands out on a very windy and rough ocean.
2024 09–12 SB Channel
A glance at today’s photograph will give you a little bit of an example of how rough the conditions were today. It was the trifecta: wind blowing from the west, southeast wind, and steep wind chop coming from both directions. Nonetheless, it helps have a veteran crew. Captain Dave and the team carefully navigated their way slowly and deliberately up the coast until they reached Goleta Bay. Sightings included: 700 common dolphins, 3 humpback whales and 1 ocean sunfish (Mola mola).
We did not see quite as many dolphins today. There were very few small, scattered groups starting about 2 miles outside The Harbor. Groups with as many as 50 were observed near Goleta. Further offshore, where humpback whales were feeding, there were a couple of hundred dolphins joining in the banquet. Several large surface bait balls were seen in the feeding area.
The aforementioned hotspot was about 5 miles off of Goleta. Three tall, wind-swept spouts led us to watching a trio of humpbacks. All three were moving east. Before long the trio split up, a pair separated from a single whale, and we followed the pair. They were fairly regular in their divehabits and appeared to be in engaged in subsurface feeding. At one point they broke off from the feeding and came over to make a very friendly visit to the Condor Express. They swam up and down both sides and passed under the boat once before resuming their feeding.
On the way home, we slowed to watch a very large ocean sunfish which swam around right side up…not flat on the surface as they are often prone to do. It swam towards us, then dove down under the boat. We continued our trek home with a stop at Platform C where Dave conducted one of his wonderful narrated tours.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Condor express, and