[CINC] Vanguard 4/2

[Susan Lascher]

Morning Trip:
2 blue whales50 common dolphins1 steller sea lionMany California sea lions
Afternoon Trip:1 blue whale2 humpback whales (mom and calf)3 gray whalesCalifornia sea lions
This was my certification trip and it was well worth the wait!  In the morning, we had a full boat with passengers from all over including Germany and Australia. As Captain Jason headed toward Anacapa, we saw two blue whales.  We watched them awhile, then set out toward Anacapa, accompanied for by a pod of common dolphins. On the back side of the island, we were greeted with crowds of California sea lions and a beautiful steller as well.  A wonderful trip with perfect weather.
On the afternoon trip, we had a smaller crowd with some local visitors as well as passengers from Austria and England.   We first saw a single blue whale – some great views of its magnificent fluke.  After visiting the California sea lions on the buoy at Gail platform, a few lucky passengers spotted a humpback breaching in the distance.  We got closer and discovered it was actually two humpbacks, a mother and her calf.  We stayed with the pair for about 45 minutes as all the cameras clicked.  On our way back to the harbor, we encountered three gray whales.  We watched for a bit, and then the show became a bit X-rated as we were treated to the sight of two males and one female grays mating. What a memorable day!
Thanks to Tina for being an awesome mentor.  Thanks to Captain Jason, Deedee and Steve, for a lovely trip.								
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