[CINC] Condor X-6/24

[paul jr petrich]

Eureka!! Jackpot day on the Condor X, with Captains  Mat and Dave alternating at the helm,
17+ Humpbacks!  5,000+ Common Dolphin! 
Boating over very calm seas, but through some early fog, Captain Mat took about 50 passengers to the first of three humungus feeding frenzies sighted today. This first one was mainland side of the shipping lanes. As the fog lifted, all aboard were treated to a huge display of feeding shearwaters ( in the hundreds ) with a sprinkling of Pelicans, along with a conservative count of 500 Common Dolphin ( me thinks short beak ). Whale spouts were aplenty, way out over a mile on both sides of us! Don Shubert, PID, recorded 6 identifiable Humpbacks close in.  As we finished with this sighting,, one of them, who had his or her full, came to the boat to people watch! It swam from side to side across the bow, and got a good look at all of us!  This huge bait patch was either sardines or anchovies, the captains surmised. There was more to come.
 As we entered CINMS waters another huge feeding frenzy was sighted, This time Captain Dave guided us to the show. Again, Shearwaters were in the hundreds, the sprinkling of Pelicans were joined in same numbers by Sea Lions, and again, whale spouts were aplenty way off on the perimeter of the feeding, over a mile away all around us. I counted 10 distant spouts in one direction. But the identifiable whales this time numbered 4 Humpbacks, and the Common dolphin were counted by Don as a mega pod of 3,000!  They were constantly active near the boat, bow riding, and feeding as far as our eyes could see. The finale to the sighting came as Captain Mat decided to move out. One Humpback began playing with a patch of offshore kelp. It peck flapped, rolled, spy-hopped, tail flopped and seemingly threw the kelp. 
 Our passengers, many from diverse countries in Europe, next got treated to a great calm water narrated tour of the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, to Prisoner's Harbor.
 On te way back to Santa Barbara, still inside Sanctuary waters, we were treated to yet another huge feeding frenzy on bait fish. This time the conservative count of Commons was 2,000. The identifiable whales were 7 Humpbacks. However, as we left for home I saw in the far distant perimeter of this feeding frenzy, a whale breaching and splashing over and over again! 
 Debbie Shelly was the other naturalist kept very active today. And Sasha was in the galley. All of us aboard as crew and CINC ranked this trip as one of our top ones ever! Also, one couple aboard from North Carolina, who had watched as addicts, whale watch documentaries on TV for years, but had never been on a real whale watch, said the real thing trumps all the all the reality shows they saw!    Keep on Swimmin, Paul

 
 
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