There were blue skies and great marine mammal interactions today. Captain Eric and his team located 500 long-beaked common dolphins, 2 humpback whales and 500 short-beaked common dolphins. By the way, we were mugged by humpback whales as you will read below:
About 6 miles out of Santa Barbara the Condor Express attracted the attention of long-beaked common dolphins. They were fabulous to see in the blue water and they soon led us into a zone with 2 humpback whales. The whales were large adults and they would not leave the boat alone. After each short (7 min) dive, the whales surface under, and next to, the Condor Express. They mugged us and even fluked up on their terminal dives. This was the best show in town and Eric held his position to get the greatest looks for over an hour.
Later, and closer to Santa Cruz Island, an additional large pod of dolphins came to the boat, but this time the group was made up of the short-beaked variety. This species is a bit more active, prone to jumping, and move through the water with an unmistakable head-down arch. Sometimes, if we are lucky, they might even “tail walk” within our range.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express
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