Mirror Glass, Many Mammal Species and a pair of Bald Eagles Today A tiny bit of haze but extremely glassy conditions again today on the Santa Barbara Channel as the Condor Express motored out for another adventure packed trip full of unexpected surprises. The first surprise of the day was a big pod of 15 or more elusive Dall’s … Read More
Stunning sightings of gray whales at Santa Cruz Island
Stunning sightings of gray whales at Santa Cruz Island We zipped across a rather choppy Santa Barbara Channel with a few white caps today, on our way towards the very fertile whale grounds of Santa Cruz Island. We played briefly with 4 Dall’s porpoises around the middle of the Channel. The great news is that once we were within a … Read More
Two “Wrong Way Corrigan” Gray Whales and More.
Two “Wrong Way Corrigan” Gray Whales and More You may have heard the story of Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan who, back in the day, was supposed to fly from New York to Long Beach, California. He landed in Ireland claiming heavy clouds and navigational errors. Well today we had two “Wrong Way Corrigan” gray whales. This is the time of … Read More
Five gray whales, Rissos dolphins, Dall’s Porpoise and lots more
Across to beautiful Santa Cruz Island we went today, and it was clear enough to see all 4 of the Channel Islands. At the mid-Channel point we encountered 5 wonderful little Dall’s Porpoise and circled around with them a few times. This is our first Dall’s sighting of the Winter. About 3 miles north of the island we ran alongside … Read More
Another mega-whale day for southbound Grays!
The Count: 2,000 common dolphins 10 Dall’s porpoise 17 Gray whales Fantastic day for southbound Gray whales out at the Santa Barbara Channel Islands with a total of 17 animals and one “pod” that had 14 individuals in it. In addition to all that blubber, two species of smaller, toothed, cetaceans: common dolphins and Dall’s porpoise, were also seen. As … Read More
Killer Whales in the Santa Barbara Channel
Killer whales feeding next to Condor Express Summary: 8 killer whales 2 gray whales 6 Dall’s porpoise 15 Risso’s dolphins 1,000 long beaked common dolphins minus one dozens of sea lions minus one For the 2nd straight day the Condor Express has encountered killer whales in the Channel. Today we ran across to Santa Cruz Island and found 8 orcas. … Read More
Dolphins galore out near the Channel Islands
Dolphins Galore on Today’s Whale Watching Trip Dolphins offered a great show today. The Channel Islands waters were teaming with dolphins and we had great weather today. A huge mega-pod of common dolphins played with the boat, and a group of Pacific white sided dolphins were also watched. A visit to the famous Painted Cave topped off the adventure. … Read More
A trip to Cuyler Harbor, San Miguel Island and blue whales too.
Saturday, August 25, 2012 Daily Whale and Dolphin Report: Here are the species we watched closely today: 2 Blue Whales 1100 Common Dolphins 10 Dall’s Porpose 20+ Northern Elephant Seals (on the beach) Hundreds of California sea lions (on the beach) NOTES: A wonderful adventure to the far west Channel and San Miguel Island today, including a visit to beautiful … Read More
Very friendly humpback whale – lots of blue whales too
Thursday, August 16, 2012 Daily Whale and Dolphin Report: Here are the species we watched closely today: 8 Blue Whale 10 Humpback Whale 125 Common Dolphins 6 Dall’s Porpoise A tad windy out on the grounds today, but the whales were just a abundant as ever. The highlights included a full breach by a humpback whale, a bit away from … Read More
American Cetacean Society Special Trip – Special Whales
August 11, 2012 Daily Whale and Dolphin Report: Here are the species we watched closely today: 18 Blue Whales 7 Humpback Whale 2 Dall’s Porpoise 5,000 Common Dolphins Lots of sea lions Today’s whale counts are unusually high because, (a) it was a special all-day charter with the American Cetacean Society, and (b) there are tons of whales out there … Read More