2019 06-20 SB Channel
-
There were overcast skies all day again with very glassy seas. No waves, no chop, no swell, just a big mirror. Again, the sightings were fabulous and included 19 closely watched humpback whales and nearly 5000 long-beaked common dolphins.
The action today, as it has been all this week, was mostly along hotspots where northern anchovies had formed big bait balls. These were feeding spots used by dolphins, sea birds, sea lions and ultimately the whales.
These hotspots were found from about 5 miles offshore, out into the mid-Channel shipping lanes. Whales were found both alone and in groups. A couple of areas had five whales together, most had a pair.
One pair included two large adults one of which took off and breached twice. Another pair was a mother with her calf, always fun to see. And yet another pair included two adult whales, one of which was our pal, Scarlet. We stayed with Scarlet and her buddy for quite a while and got wonderful looks.
SUMMARY: More than focusing on any one animal or behavior, the last few days have been more about the spectacle, the panorama, the widespread abundance. It was both awesome and humbling.
-
Read MoreThere were overcast skies all day again with very glassy seas. No waves, no chop, no swell, just a big mirror. Again, the sightings were fabulous and included 19 closely watched humpback whales and nearly 5000 long-beaked common dolphins.
The action today, as it has been all this week, was mostly along hotspots where northern anchovies had formed big bait balls. These were feeding spots used by dolphins, sea birds, sea lions and ultimately the whales.
These hotspots were found from about 5 miles offshore, out into the mid-Channel shipping lanes. Whales were found both alone and in groups. A couple of areas had five whales together, most had a pair.
One pair included two large adults one of which took off and breached twice. Another pair was a mother with her calf, always fun to see. And yet another pair included two adult whales, one of which was our pal, Scarlet. We stayed with Scarlet and her buddy for quite a while and got wonderful looks.
SUMMARY: More than focusing on any one animal or behavior, the last few days have been more about the spectacle, the panorama, the widespread abundance. It was both awesome and humbling.
-
The whiskers, aka vibrissae, of this California sea lion can be seen reflecting in the glassy ocean water.
Zalophus californianus 2019 06-20 SB Channel--007
California sea lion.
Zalophus californianus 2019 06-20 SB Channel--009
Second captain Colton uses a gaff to remove a Mylar balloon from the ocean surface. This gaff represents a marriage of a home-made gaff that I used on a couple of my old boats in the 80's. My friend Chris Spiros made the gaff from a ScubaPro pole spear. The Condor Crew connected it to an aluminum extension. A long story and great recycling example put to use cleaning the ocean!
deckhand Colton retrieves Mylar balloon debris 2019 06-20 SB Channel-b-003
