[CINC] Condor Express August 25, 2012

[Rose Messina]

Sightings:
			1100 common dolphins
			10 Dall's porpoise
			30 elephant seals on the beach
			2 Blue whales

We left under overcast skies in search of the whales of recent days,  
however, they seemed to elude us.  We encountered the common dolphins  
as Captain Mat continued ever westward in search of whales.  We were  
not disappointed.  As the clouds left and the sky turned blue, we  
were at San Miguel, with the calmest seas there that I've ever seen.   
We actually went into Cuyler Harbor to watch the sea lions and  
elephant seals as well as the bird life, and circumnavigated Prince  
Island as we started on the return trip.  What a treat!  It was not  
too long until we encountered a blue whale accompanied by  
approximately 10 Dall's porpoise.   Shortly thereafter, we  
encountered our second blue whale.

As we sped back for a late arrival, passengers from Colorado, South  
Dakota, Wisconsin, California, Switzerland and The Netherlands  
couldn't stop talking about their amazing experiences.

Many thanks to Captain Mat, Dave and Kelly for a spectacular day, as  
well as to Bob Perry for some spectacular photos.

Rose Messina, Bruce Matthews, Morgan Coffey PID