[CINC] Condor WW on June 16th

[Laura Shelton]

Hello Naturalists:
Sightings:500 common dolphins6 humpbacks2 Guadalupe Fur Seals released
Naturalists:Cubby WMarilyn D PIDLaura S
Crew:Capt MatCapt DaveBrooke
For those who want more details...sorry, it got a little long this time!
We had a diverse group of passengers and several visiting Marine Mammal Center volunteers headed by long time volunteer and now staff member:  Lisa Harper Henderson. She educated all of us about Guadalupe Fur Seals and their organization's 600 mile territory all the way to several hours north of Sand Francisco where they respond to marine mammal entanglement and rescue calls. The seals came from San Luis Obispo County. She also  taught us all about what a released balloon with attached ribbon can do in a worst case scenario in  her discussion of entanglements. 
Cubby gave a rousing interactive talk about the channel and whales and dolphins with great flair as we left the harbor. Marilyn added a great description of the PID role. We found 500 common dolphins in very glassy waters several miles out. It was foggy but so GLASSY that we all enjoyed great looks. 
It was so foggy it was a little hard to tell where we were but Capt Dave and Capt Mat kept us informed. We found 3 humpback whales traveling east including a calf near the west end of Santa Cruz. Marilyn said she got fluke id shots of all but the calf for the day.  
Then we released the male and female seals in front of the west end of Santa Cruz. We learned the two seals did not get along well during their rehab stay(they were found in separate locations in late April and May) and they swam in opposite directions. None of the Marine Mammal Center reps were surprised. Capt Dave and other CIMWI reps were also there to assist in the release. 
We then went over to Painted Cave, spotted three more humpbacks not far from PC and headed back to the harbor. 
Thanks!  Great June Gloom Day! Happy passengers!
Laura Shelton

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