[CINC] Ranger 85 March 22 Friday

[Pam Yerger]

AM trip:
small pod 20 common dolphins soon after we left Channel Islands Harbor3 fin whales feeding and moving rapidly 10+ knots3 mating gray whalesBrown PelicansWestern GullsWestern GrebesCormorants

PM trip cancelled

Another sell out crowd left the harbor with high expectations and Captain Dustin did not disappoint!  While still at the dock we saw a couple of California Sea Lions swimming slowly into the harbor right behind the boat.  Soon after leaving the harbor we found a very small pod of common dolphins who gave just enough of a show to delight passengers.  Heading out towards Gina we spotted some fin whales ahead of us and as we got closer we realized there were 3 of them.  Passengers got very clear looks at the sleek bodies and the well defined fins.  At first they seemed to be feeding and not moving much but after awhile they began moving out toward Anacapa at a speed estimated by Dustin to be between 10 and 20 knots.  We stayed with these whales, who were somewhat shy, for quite awhile.  We continued to look for more whales and Captain Dustin finally said we had to turn around and return to the harbor.  On the way back (about 5 miles from the harbor) we came across 3 mating gray whales who delighted everyone with tails, fins, close up views of backs and barnacles.  Since the afternoon trip had been cancelled due to anticipated rough weather we stayed with these whales for about an hour, arriving late back to the docks...but who cared with such wonderful views over and over and no afternoon trip waiting!!  We saw so many clear spouts from both types of whales that passengers were able to really see the difference between the two.
On the way back in we saw at least 5 or 7 more whales in the distance and during the trip we saw a number of the common birds seen in the area...Brown Pelicans, Western Gulls, Western Greves, Cormorants.
The skies were clear, the wind was low but the swells were quite large during the early part of the trip.  All in all, a fantastic day on the water with Captain Dustin, Photographer Eddie and Chef Paul!

Pam YergerNaturalist

 		 	   		  
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