2019 07-26 SB Channel
Regular readers may wonder why, with all those whales to the west near Platform Hondo, we ran straight south to The Lanes today. The answer is simple: there was a moderate breeze, some small whitecaps, and a medium swell. It was more comfortable to avoid running directly into the oncoming seas. The positive news about moderate winds is that they brought us bright, sunny skies all day. Sightings for the trip included: 6+ humpback whales and 3000+ long-beaked common dolphins.
Dolphins first intercepted the Condor Express about one mile south of Hope Ranch. There were hundreds of pods of various sizes everywhere we went. Perhaps this was good fortune, or possibly due to the amazing amount of bait in the water. Northern anchovy hot spots were everywhere…I’ve not seen so many in years. At one point, Captain Dave drove through an area where the anchovies we being driven up to the surface and leaping out. It looked like an intense rainfall on the water. Sea birds were happy. Dolphins and sea lions were, too. And quite a nice number of whales also took advantage of the situation.
Our first whale was almost at the mid-Channel point and was moving ahead quickly as if migrating. At one point it deviated from its course and executed a surface lunge about 25 yards off our bow. A great wake-up call to those who had been lulled into a dolphin dreamland.
We saw five additional whales, mostly in The Lanes, with numerous others in the near distance.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express, and CondorExpressPhotos.com
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