<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal>Team Bailey, Toni Bailey with Kevin Bailey on PID set out for
a full day of marine life and were not disappointed. We were on the Islander
with Capt. Alex and co-Capt. Mike along with Dawn and 84 passengers from around
the world. A couple of people had recognized us from being on the boat
previously and are regulars on the whale watching circuit. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Our 1<sup>st</sup> stop was the buoy outside the Ventura
harbor which was completely covered with sea lions and had a waiting list
nearby. We counted 17 on the buoy and 12 immediately around it waiting for an
open spot and thermoregulating as they waited to haul out. 20 minutes later we
saw a megapod of sea lions! There must have been 200+ sea lions all swimming in
a tight group with a purpose - porpoising along like they were being chased by
the Orcas we never saw. A little later we saw about 20 common dolphins who must
have been the scouting group for the 1000+ we saw an ½ hour later that were
spread out over at least a square mile.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Once we got into the shipping lane we saw our first
humpbacks. For the next hour we had whales all around us off SCI before the
SCI/SRI gap. The krill was everywhere. I have not seen so much krill before.
The water was red/brown all over from all the krill at the surface. In total we
saw 6 Blues and 9 Humpbacks within a couple hundred yards and other spouts in
the distance. Since the krill was at the surface it did not make for an easy
PID day. Flukes were very few and very lazy flops if at all. The Blues only
showed a dorsal fin once. All the whales were just snorkeling around – we
even thought some of the humpbacks could be sleeping since they were so slow
and just hanging out at the surface. Mike did a plankton tow and pulled in some
live krill which was more exciting than the cheerios in a jar. With all the
krill everywhere, the sooty shearwaters were fat and happy. They were out in
full force and were so full of krill they could not even fly. In addition to
humpback whale breath we were also treated to both blue and humpback poop ;
maybe that was their way of saying “these are my krill , stay
away”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>After over an hour of whales we headed to The Cave and went
deeper inside the cave than we have ever been. Way to go Alex! Then he turned
the boat around while still not completely out of the cave. That was cool to
see! We then cruised alongside the island and stopped to pick up some Prisoners
before headed back to home base. On the home stretch crossing we had another
commons experience of about 200 animals.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Kevin Bailey<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>