Outstanding weather & wildlife
Down to the east Santa Barbara Channel the sun was shining bright and the ocean was calm. The ocean was crystal clear and blue again. Captain Dave and his crew found one humpback whale: our buddy Top Notch. Similar to yesterday, Top Notch made a few friendly passes near the Condor Express and delighted its fans. It also showed some nice tail flukes on its deep dives. The anchovy schools in this location seemed to be near the seafloor, so bottom times were in the ten minute range…leaving plenty of time to smell the salt air and enjoy the scenery. There were more common dolphins today. The crew estimated at least 500 #dolphins were observed in their clear water habitat. Among the cetaceans observed there were 4 Minke whales. One was a giant beast at least 30 feet long! The big Minke gave us some very good looks. The water was so clear and the visibilities above the surface were so nice that the crew reported several “false alarms” where they thought there was a herd of dolphins ahead and it turned out to be flocks of black vented shearwaters diving and re-surfacing and making a lot of splashes. Wow!
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express
on the web: www.CondorExpress.com/blog
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