2015 04-16 SB Coast

Two trips. Two exciting excursions. Bright sun, light breeze, mixed swells from southeast and west. Fun had by all.

12 noon.
Three coastal bottlenose dolphins watched from the green buoy well into the East Beach anchorage. Outside of that position, Eric spotted a mother gray whale and her calf which we followed past the Lighthouse with one diversion. The diversion was a short trip out to mingle with about 100 Pacific white-sided dolphins. The #dolphins were busy feeding and only spent a few moments riding the bow. We went back to the cow-calf #whale pair which by now had moved very close to the surf zone. At one point 4 or 5 additional bottlenose dolphins messed around with the whales, but only for a short while since the dolphins were heading down the beach and the whales were on their northbound migration. All the photographs in this gallery were taken on the noon trip.

3pm.
The late afternoon adventure took us to the far west. Sea conditions had moderated quite a bit to make this an enjoyable ride. Near Campus Point we intersected another mother gray whale and her calf. We had great looks for quite a while, including some spy-hopping by the calf. The ride back east to Santa Barbara Harbor featured a nice session with 1,000 long-beaked common #dolphins.

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A tiny little gray whale calf has its head still underwater as it swims alongside its much larger mother
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2015 04-16 SB Coast-022
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2015 Coast 022
Gray whale tail flukes
Eschrichtius robustus tail flukes 2015 04-16 SB Coast-031
Eschrichtius robustus tail flukes 2015 Coast 031
Gray whale calf in the surf zone. On the beach a woman and her dog do some whale watching. Two surf scoters can be seen in the water to the left.
Eschrichtius robustus calf surf zone woman dog Melanitta 2015 04-16 SB Coast-b-043
Eschrichtius robustus calf surf zone woman dog Melanitta 2015 Coast 043
Gray whale mother and spouting calf
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2015 04-16 SB Coast-023
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2015 Coast 023
The majestic kelp forest surrounds a northbound gray whale
Eschrichtius robustus & Macrocystis 2015 04-16 SB Coast-b-005
Eschrichtius robustus Macrocystis 2015 Coast 005
A wave of water is created as a gray whale calf speeds up to swim alongside its mother
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2015 04-16 SB Coast-013
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2015 Coast 013
Gray whales in the surf zone and a beach full of people enjoying the sun
Eschrichtius robustus surf zone & people on beach 2015 04-16 SB Coast-b-055
Eschrichtius robustus surf zone people beach 2015 Coast 055
Pacific white-sided dolphin underwater
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 04-16 SB Coast-060
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 Coast 060
Pacific white-sided dolphin underwater
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 04-16 SB Coast-b-009
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 Coast 009
Pacific white-sided dolphin underwater
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 04-16 SB Coast-a-016
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 Coast 016
Pacific white-sided dolphin
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 04-16 SB Coast-b-011
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 Coast 011
A Pacific white-dolphin heads for the camera on a glassy ocean
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 04-16 SB Coast-b-037
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 Coast 037
Two Pacific white-sided dolphins move across a mirror glass ocean
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 04-16 SB Coast-b-111
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 Coast 111
Pacific white-sided dolphins ride a small open ocean wave
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 04-16 SB Coast-b-103
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2015 Coast 103
A flock of elegant terns fly across the deep blue water
Sterna elegans in flight 2015 04-16 SB Coast-002
Sterna elegans flight 2015 Coast 002
The motor yacht "Acania" was built in New York in 1930. Read more at www.acania.net
motor vessel Acania 2015 04-16 SB Coast-a-009
motor vessel Acania 2015 Coast 009
A close look at an underwater coastal bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus inshore 2015 04-16 SB Coast-017
Tursiops truncatus inshore 2015 Coast 017
A coastal bottlenose dolphin spouts on a glassy surface
Tursiops truncatus inshore 2015 04-16 SB Coast-018
Tursiops truncatus inshore 2015 Coast 018

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2015 04-16 SB Coast

Location of today's photographs from camera GPS