2018 05-11 SB Coast

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Captain Tasha took the Condor Express up and down the coast at noon today and ended up with some great looks at 2 gray whales. It was a mother gray whale with her very young calf, as it generally is this time of year. The mother had a series of what looked like propeller scars across her back…not so deep and appear to be healed. The pair stopped right out front of the 1,000 Steps Beach and remained there for quite a while and put on a bit of a show.

My best guess is that the calf went through a couple of attempts to nurse with mom. It rolled around a lot, laid on its side next to mom, gave off a couple of large underwater bubble-blasts, and laid its body across mom at one point. The two did some side-by-side head-lifts and mom did a tremendous and close spy-hop. It was an epic cow-calf sighting.

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Pete, the black-crowned night heron - posing on board the dive boat "Truth"
Nycticorax nycticorax CLOSE 2018 05-11 SB Coast--004
nycticorax CLOSE 2018 Coast 004
The adult female gray whale spy-hopped as part of her interaction with her calf. You can see the eyeball looking around.
Eschrichtius robustus SPY HOP CLOSE 2018 05-11 SB Coast--155
Eschrichtius robustus SPY HOP CLOSE 2018 Coast 155
Gray whale calf (foreground) and its mother, with propeller scars.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--196
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 196
The northbound gray whale migration spends a lot of time on the outer edge of the kelp forest.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf Macrocystis 2018 05-11 SB Coast--062
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf Macrocystis 2018 Coast 062
Mother gray whale (left) and her calf.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--037
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 037
Gray whale calf, on its side, spouting right next to its spy-hopping mother.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--096
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 096
Mother gray whale (right) and her calf.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--100
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 100
Gray whale cow-calf pair heads northbound along the beach.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--019
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 019
Mother and calf.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--030
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 030
The gray whale calf is seen with its body draped across its mother for security. [Calves often climb atop mom when under attack by killer whales]
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--115
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 115
Mother gray whale (foreground) and her calf.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--165
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 165
Mother and calf.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf 2018 05-11 SB Coast--122
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf 2018 Coast 122
Gray whale bubble blast - makes you wonder what is going on down there.
Eschrichtius robustus cow-calf BUBBLE BLAST 2018 05-11 SB Coast--149
Eschrichtius robustus cow calf BUBBLE BLAST 2018 Coast 149
Santa Barbara Lighthouse.
Santa Barbara Lighthouse 2018 05-11 SB Coast--025
Santa Barbara Lighthouse 2018 Coast 025
Gull on dead marine mammal carcass.
Larus on dead mammal carcass 2018 05-11 SB Coast--002
Larus dead mammal carcass 2018 Coast 002

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2018 05-11 SB Coast

Location of today's photographs