[CINC] Monday 4/16 Condor Express

[Tina Armbruster-Stephens]

9:00 AM Cancelled
3:00 PM Cancelled

12:00 Trip = perfect!

3 Harbor Seals on the bait dock

5 Sealions on the buoy
3 Mother/calf pair Gray Whales (6total) 
20 Bottlenose Dolphins

What a wonderful day for our apprx. 60 passengers!  We found the first pair of mother and calf right off Ledbetter Beach.  We stayed with those two for about an hour.  Mommy was teaching her baby how to spy hop and treated us to the lesson!    Bottlenose dolphins enjoyed the company of this pair and also frolicking to the delight of those on board the Condor.  They were very amorous too in the glassy sea.   Second mother and calf spotted swimming parallel to us off Hendry's Beach very very close to shore.  I am certain some of the beach-goers on the shore saw this couple as they were on the shore side of the kelp, just beyond where the waves were starting to build.  We spotted another pair behind us at one point in the trip and the ocean was suddenly alive with whales in all directions and bottlenose jumping, splashing and waving pec fins a few times.  One dolphin came part way out of the water propelled by his tail and looked just like
 Flipper used to - everyone on board was thrilled to pieces (me too).     Several private boats joined in to watch, as well one very intrepid person on a paddle board.  


Passengers from Germany, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentucky, New Jersey, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Paradise and Los Angeles,CA.  Many thanks to Captain Dave, Matt and Dennis for a lovely and very exciting day in the channel.    Great day for naturalist Rose Messina and I to join in the fun.

signed,

Tina Armbruster Stephens
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