2016 03-17 SB Channel
9am
As we motored slowly in the boat channel inside Santa Barbara harbor, I looked over the top of the rocks and saw inshore bottlenose dolphins. As the Condor Express came into their vicinity to take a peek, there were three of these large dolphins. We followed them into the East Beach anchorage before turning around completely and returning to the harbor entrance where a nice sized group of 25 Pacific white-sided dolphins (aka, Lags) were to be found. Ten minutes later we located a second, similarly sized group of 20 or so Lags, then ten minutes after that it was another group of 25 near the Yacht Club. The past two days have blessed us with this wonderful Lags that do not often come to the beach and play.
At 10am we were not far offshore of Hendry's where 4 gray whales were found heading north. There was a moderate amount of rolling around and the group (1 out front, 3 together in the back) slowed down and picked up speed a couple of times. During the whale watching, yet another group of 25 Lags passed us by as they were moving east. We left the gray whales after a good long time with plenty of wonderful looks to head a bit offshore and east where we thought we saw some birds crashing. On the way we rode along with a mother common dolphin and her little calf. A ways outside of Shoreline Park there were 25 common dolphins chasing a small bait ball with at least 1 humpback dining on the same buffet table.
12noon
The afternoon adventure got started with 20 Lags followed by 1 humpback whale. The humpback wasn't particularly showy so we moved offshore where we caught a glimpse of some spouts and some tail-throwing. Sure enough, we found a medium large northern anchovy bait ball being worked, at one time or another, by 5 independent humpback whales. Several times the bait ball got pushed up against the hulls of the Condor Express where they tried to escape, but the dolphins and sea lions found their banquet anyway. It was a spectacular "Marlin Perkins, Wild Kingdom" kind of event. Nowadays we call it a NatGeo moment, I guess.
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Two northbound gray whales with More Mesa in the background.
Eschrichtius robustus 2016 03-17 SB Channel-a-012
Looking down on the head of a Pacific white-sided dolphin.
Lagenorhnychus obliquidens 2016 03-17 SB Channel-c-112
Underwater portrait - Pacific white-sided dolphin.
Lagenorhnychus obliquidens UW lateral GOOD 2016 03-17 SB Channel-c-036
Three Pacific white-sided dolphins. (one is underwater)
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens 2016 03-17 SB Channel-071
A Pacific white-sided dolphin uses a passing wave as a window.
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens in wave abstract 2016 03-17 SB Channel-078
A leaping Pacific white-sided dolphin does a back flop.
Lagenorhynchus obliquidens upside down leap 2016 03-17 SB Channel-a-002
Image 1 of 2: A humpback whale and its fan club.
Megaptera novaengliae & passengers 2016 03-17 SB Channel-a-010
Image 2 of 2: A humpback whale and its fan club.
Megaptera novaengliae & passengers 2016 03-17 SB Channel-a-002
An entangled California sea lion with a nylon monofilament necklace that is cutting into its neck. Commercial fishing gill nets are often the cause of such wounds. The only hope for this sea lion is to be captured and taken into rehabilitation.
Zalophus californianus on buoy with necklace wrap 2016 03-17 SB Harbor-631
