2020 08-14 Santa Rosa Island
Blue skies, blue water, blue whales and more…
Skies were sunny all day and seas were calm. Captain Dave and the crew of the Condor Express returned to the “land of the giants” north of Santa Rosa Island again. Sightings included: 7+ giant blue whales, 1 hybrid fin/blue whale, 1000 short-beaked common dolphins and 600 long-beaked common dolphins.
A mega pod of short-beaked common dolphins were the first cetaceans to be observed and we were crossing The Lanes heading for Santa Rosa Island at the time. The group was spread over about a mile of water and its individuals were active and acrobatic. Later in the trip, about 1 mile south of the Santa Barbara lighthouse, a smaller group of their long-beaked cousins were watched. It was great to see so many of them close to shore.
Our encounter with the giants started with sighting and following 2 giant blue whales and an even larger fin/blue hybrid named “Flue.” Since these whales have may stay down longer, sometimes you are among the beasts and don’t know it until they come up and spout! Boats must proceed with extreme caution and at a safe speed. After the first 3 whales were observed, we moved slightly to the west and located 5 more. Great looks were had by all. Blue skies and blue water made following the blue whales a sight to behold. A few additional spouts were seen further west.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry Condor Express, and CondorExpressPhotos.com
SPECIAL ALL-DAY TRIP: Saturday August 29. An approximate 8-hour trip to feature the end of summer wildlife of the Santa Barbara Channel will depart SEA Landing, check-in time is 730 am for an 8 am departure. Destinations are weather-dependent and could include the outer islands of Santa Rosa and San Miguel, and/or the south sides (“backsides”) of the islands. Please follow this link to sign-up:
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