2015 04-23 SB Coast
We ran one trip today departing at 12 noon. Once outside, there were scattered windrows of transparent, dead Purple Sailor jellies (Velella velella) to the west of Santa Barbara Harbor today, and only a few random non-windrow blue and live ones. Such may be the life cycle of Velella velella. The long-beaked common dolphins and gray whales were in much better shape than Velella. Off the Lighthouse we encountered 50 or so #dolphins and had a nice play session with them before proceeding westward. Further up the coast near Ellwood we found 6 gray whales traveling together, three mothers and their calves. At one point, near the Ellwood refinery beach, 4 of the gray #whales made a bee-line to the surf and we watched them ride waves, roll around, show their pectoral and tail flukes and more rarely, lift their heads, in water that must have been less than 10 feet deep. There were plenty of bubble blasts and in the photos you can see sand plumes being kicked up all around the whales. The calves seemed to be the most bold in their penetration of the breakers. It was well worth the trip to the west, that's for sure. What a show!
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Gray whales in the surf - a bubble blast plus, if you look close enough, you will see a large female just under the surface sideways in the wave. A juvenile is inside the wave towards the beach.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf in wave & bubble blast Ellwood 2015 04-23 SB Coast-028
EschrichtiusrobustuscowcalfwavebubbleblastEllwood2015Coast028