Image: The Condor Express track today.
2023 11-25 SB Channel - West
Strong Santa Ana winds blew offshore in the eastern Channel and created some residual SE winds and bumpy seas in our region. Captain Dave and the crew took a long circular path to find wildlife and ended up escaping he wind off the Gaviota Coast. Sightings included: 100 offshore bottlenose dolphins, 1 humpback whale, 1100 long-beaked common dolphins and 60 or so California sea lions. The crew found and removed one old, deflated, floating Mylar balloon.
After expending a huge amount of search effort, a large pod of super active and aerial offshore bottlenose dolphins located the Condor Express off the Gaviota coast. The group was very acrobatic, did a lot of high-flying jumps and leaped over our stern wake waves.
We moved east and watched two groups of long-beaked common dolphins. After a small group, we found a large seabird concentration with a birdnado. This supported a larger pod of common dolphins. A single juvenile humpback whale was also here. The little whale had long dive times and moved ¼ mile or more while submerged. We stayed with it through several challenging dive cycles, but eventually had to peel off and head home. We were a bit tardy returning to the dock.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store,
Bob Perry Condor Express, and
Weather adds an inmteresting element to any voyage. It seems paradoxical to find calmer waters in the western end of the channel. Cetaceans like Bottlenose Dolphins and Humpbacks can make life a lot easier by meeting the boat on their own volition.