2019 10-17 SB Channel
A very hearty seafaring group of whale watchers ventured forth into a windy and slightly bumpy Santa Barbara Channel today in search of wildlife. Captain Dave in the crew did everything they could to make the ride will be as smooth as possible. After slowly negotiating the oncoming wind and swells, the Condor Express ended up about 10 miles out from UCSB. Sightings included 800 long-beaked common dolphins and one “interesting” humpback whale. Regular readers of this report, and people who have visited my personal website (MarineBioPhotography.com) probably know it is my theory that just about every marine mammal knows how to surf. I even wrote an article one time for Surfer Magazine about it, back in the day. Well today the crew and lucky passengers added one more species to the list of proven surfing mammals. The juvenile humpback whale that we found off of UCSB was steadily moving east, with the swells, and taking full advantage of their energy. The whale would give a little stroke of its massive tail and end up riding one of the set waves just under the surface of the water. When that wave dissipated, it would stroke again and ride the next wave. Why not migrate and have fun at the same time? After all it is California!
Kudos to Captain and crew for making a memorable adventure out of a challenging day.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express, and CondorExpressPhotos.com
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