2023 02-18 SB Coast
It was a magical winter day in the Channel with mirror glass seas and mostly blue skies all day. Three trips left the harbor and the total sightings included 40 offshore bottlenose dolphins and 4 Pacific gray whales.
After a careful run west along the coastal kelp forests, Captain Dave and the crew slowed for a brief tour of Platform Holly. After the tour, our track took us offshore and then east along what is a second migratory corridor for northbound gray whales.
Not long after turning east, a large pod of highly animated offshore bottlenose dolphins located the Condor Express and rode our bow, side and stern waves. In addition to lots of high flying jumps, we noted the pod was full of calves.
Also on the outer corridor we found a pair of adult gray whales and watched them on two different excursions, the 12 noon and 3 pm trips. These were an easy to watch pair with very short down times and plenty of tail flukes. As we left the pair to head home at the end of the noon encounter, one of the whales breached.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Condor Express, and
CondorExpressPhotos.com
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