[CINC] Condor Express- Sunday, August 7

[Laura Shelton]

Hello Naturalists:

Sightings:
5 Blue Whales
10 Humpbacks (Several "friendly approaches")
Spouts in the distance

Location:
Off "Carrington Point" on Santa Rosa. 
East of where the whales have been lately. Closer to Santa Cruz Island.

Crew:
Captain Dave, Dennis and Brooke

Naturalist:
Laura Shelton

Highlights:
Great trip. Good conditions. Only a handful of "really uncomfortable" folks and they all seemed to be able to enjoy the whales. Good visibility despite some lingering fog and smaller swell and less wind than expected. 

One lady, who smiled despite being sick and even while being sick, was in the back of the boat with one other individual and no one else, and a single humpback that had gone under the boat, spyhopped and she and this other passenger were eye to eye with this whale briefly. 

One other story, a woman who has been whale watching several times mentioned that she really wanted to see a dolphin. When I came by towards the end, I commented on the great whale sightings and said I bet you will see dolphins next time. She claimed that she and another man definitely saw a lone dolphin out in the distance.  I decided to just be excited for her and not ask too many questions. So there you go, even on a boat full of people (87-lots of SB and Europeans, etc) you can have your own unique experience. 

We had a lone whale with an interesting dorsal fin (it looked slightly "broken" and had a white coloring around it...) that was our "most friendly" approach and the subject of the above spyhop encounter. Brooke thought it may have been the same single whale that went under the boat and surfaced near the boat the day before. 2 other whales turned and approached the boat briefly as well. 

Lots of surface time and a fluke by a blue whale were also enjoyed by all. 

Thanks,

Laura
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