2009 04-14 Condor Express HUMPBACK MEGA DAY 4 - THE BREACHING WHALE
GALE FORCE WINDS - BREACHING HUMPBACK WHALE
Captain Dave left Santa Barbara Harbor and headed out into windy conditions in the Santa Barbara Channel. What he didn’t know was that the wind would continue to increase as we reached the mid-Channel buoy. Not only did Dave have keen eyesight, but Dane from the Stardust was deckhand and Carolyn, a veteran naturalist was doing photo ID work. A giant splash was spotted and Dave slowly inched the Condor Express through the rising seas and wind until we were close enought to view (and photograph) a very active humpback whale. We watched this whale for nearly an hour and a half and it never stopped breaching the whole time. It would breach, come up for one breath, dive and breach again. You could set your watch (or camera) by its regularity. After a while some of the breaching got very close to the boat, and at one point the beast almost landed on the stern swim step. This caused the crew to be concerned and Dave backed away from the whale and headed home as the whale seemed to “chase” us and continued breaching in the distance. There are many hypotheses about why humpback whales breach. On this day, it appeared as if the whale was absolutely enjoying the gale force winds blowing against its massive airborne body.
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Read MoreCaptain Dave left Santa Barbara Harbor and headed out into windy conditions in the Santa Barbara Channel. What he didn’t know was that the wind would continue to increase as we reached the mid-Channel buoy. Not only did Dave have keen eyesight, but Dane from the Stardust was deckhand and Carolyn, a veteran naturalist was doing photo ID work. A giant splash was spotted and Dave slowly inched the Condor Express through the rising seas and wind until we were close enought to view (and photograph) a very active humpback whale. We watched this whale for nearly an hour and a half and it never stopped breaching the whole time. It would breach, come up for one breath, dive and breach again. You could set your watch (or camera) by its regularity. After a while some of the breaching got very close to the boat, and at one point the beast almost landed on the stern swim step. This caused the crew to be concerned and Dave backed away from the whale and headed home as the whale seemed to “chase” us and continued breaching in the distance. There are many hypotheses about why humpback whales breach. On this day, it appeared as if the whale was absolutely enjoying the gale force winds blowing against its massive airborne body.
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![A PhotoShop© montage of this Humpback Whale (Megaptera novangliae) breaching made into a single panorama. [there is another breach panorama on the next page]](https://photos.smugmug.com/2009/2009-04-14-Condor-Express/i-dvWBcKk/3/98dbe355/XL/2%20Humpback%20breach%20montage%20%233%20panorama-XL.jpg)
