2016 02-06 SB Channel
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Welcome to gray whale season!
Today's sightings included 13 humpback whales and about 600 long-beaked common dolphins. Oh, by the way, I think the humpback whales are back in town. Here is the story:
Around 1030a we found about 500 widely-dispersed pod of long-beaked common dolphins not too far offshore. The water was buttery glass and remained so for most of the day. There were numerous calves in this pod and seeing them through the calm surface was a big treat. We continued south towards Santa Cruz Island.
Around noon we were just a mile or two off the face of the sea cliffs at Santa Cruz Island and second-Captain Eric, backed up by our friend Dino, spotted several spouts. This sighting consisted of 6 humpback whales together. Another hundred dolphins milled around here too.
Later, just past 1230p, we moved over to another batch of humpback whales with many more in the near distance. One of the distant whales breached several times but most of us only saw the giant splash. The quad pod made a few close passes by the Condor Express and also stopped at every little piece of floating, detached giant kelp so they could rub their bodies. One whale let a stringer of kelp move down its chin then it slammed its head into the kelp and ocean to make a splendid and dramatic scene.
As we left the Island around 105p, we did not go far until we found a single humpback whale, and then, closer to home, at 205p, there was yet another. We did not happen to intersect the path of gray whales today, but there certainly were humpback whales everywhere.
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Read MoreWelcome to gray whale season!
Today's sightings included 13 humpback whales and about 600 long-beaked common dolphins. Oh, by the way, I think the humpback whales are back in town. Here is the story:
Around 1030a we found about 500 widely-dispersed pod of long-beaked common dolphins not too far offshore. The water was buttery glass and remained so for most of the day. There were numerous calves in this pod and seeing them through the calm surface was a big treat. We continued south towards Santa Cruz Island.
Around noon we were just a mile or two off the face of the sea cliffs at Santa Cruz Island and second-Captain Eric, backed up by our friend Dino, spotted several spouts. This sighting consisted of 6 humpback whales together. Another hundred dolphins milled around here too.
Later, just past 1230p, we moved over to another batch of humpback whales with many more in the near distance. One of the distant whales breached several times but most of us only saw the giant splash. The quad pod made a few close passes by the Condor Express and also stopped at every little piece of floating, detached giant kelp so they could rub their bodies. One whale let a stringer of kelp move down its chin then it slammed its head into the kelp and ocean to make a splendid and dramatic scene.
As we left the Island around 105p, we did not go far until we found a single humpback whale, and then, closer to home, at 205p, there was yet another. We did not happen to intersect the path of gray whales today, but there certainly were humpback whales everywhere.
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Whale fans get a close encounter with a friendly humpback whale that nicely shows its tail flukes.
Megaptera novaeangliae & passengers 2016 02-06 SB Channel-a-610
Two humpback whales.
Megaptera novaeangliae 2016 02-06 SB Channel-252
A "whitey pects" humpback whale that also has a slight notch in its dorsal fin.
Megaptera novaeangliae 2016 02-06 SB Channel-379
