[CINC] CX Sunday, 8/4/13

[Mary Bucholtz]

2 humpbacks
3 mola molas
250 common dolphins
12 offshore bottlenose dolphins
5 blue whales

Gorgeous conditions and great viewing. I was the very fortunate sole naturalist, with Captain Mat and crewmembers Tasha and Cassidy; Bob Perry generously stepped in to cover PID. After checking out a couple of groups of common dolphins, we encountered a very mellow cow/calf pair of humpbacks hanging out in shallow water off Summerland ("the flats," per Capt. Mat). We spent some quality time with them and got a great look at the mother rolling around. We then got a tip from the Islander that there were blues on the west end of Santa Cruz Island, and we hightailed it over, visiting some offshore bottlenose dolphins along the way. As promised, west of SCI we saw lots of spouts--including one magical moment when five blues lined up in front of the bow for our viewing pleasure. One whale showed us its flukes repeatedly. Amazingly, we also got sunshine, no wind, and calm seas. Uniformly delighted passengers from Germany, England, Denmark, France, and Southern California, including a number of serious amateur photographers. 

Mary

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Mary Bucholtz
mbucholtz at me.com
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