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Condor Cruises
301 West Cabrillo Blvd
Santa Barbara, California 93101
USA
(805) 882-0088
Date
 Report
01-28-2012Friends, We ran back to the Santa Cruz Channel today, between the two islands. Conditions and sightings were similar to yesterday. Hey, what month is it? It sure seems like summertime. Sightings: 5 Gray Whales (including one very young whale, plus more (adults) in the distance) 200 Long-beak Common Dolphins 400 Risso's Dolphins ATTENTION: THERE ARE ONLY A FEW WEEKS LEFT OF THIS AMAZING SOUTHBOUND GRAY WHALE MIGRATION OUT AT THE ISLANDS. TOO SOON THEY WILL BE DONE FOR 2012 AND THE SCHEDULE WILL SHIFT TO COASTAL 2.5 HOUR TRIPS FOR NORTHBOUND WHALES RETURNING TO THE ARCTIC. DON'T MISS THIS SHOW WHILE YOU STILL HAVE A GREAT CHANCE OF SEEING UNPREDICTABLE WILD BEHAVIORS. PASS THE WORD TO YOUR CLIENTS AND FRIENDS WHILE THIS SPECTACULAR SUNNY WEATHER CONTINUES TO SHINE UPON US AND BRING GOOD FORTUNE. (Sheesh, did I write that? Whew!)
01-28-2012Friends, There were pristine and stellar conditions out in the Santa Cruz Channel (Between the two islands, Sta Cruz and Sta Rosa) today. Hardly and winds, glassy and what little northeast breeze there was was warm from passing over the island. I guess the wildlife felt the same way we did: this is the place to be! The sightings don't tell the whole story, so please read onward after the sightings to learn more about what happened out there today: Sightings: 6 Gray Whales (plus more in the distance) 1,500 Long-beak Common Dolphins 500 Risso's Dolphins 1 Northern Elephant Seal (mid channel, a juvenile) Every year at this time the southbound Gray Whales must pass through the acres of Risso's Dolphins that have congregated on the squid grounds off the west end of Santa Cruz Island and up into the Santa Cruz Channel. Occasionally the two species, Risso's and Grays, interact with each other and the Gray whale behavior is fascinating as well as completely wild/unexpected. We observed 3 adult Grays rolling around, laying on their sides, spy-hopping (often in unison), and generally carrying on as if they were mating. All the while the Risso's Dolphins and, naturally, the California Sea Lions, were in close proximity to the Gray Whales. The melange appears to lose track of where they are and often approach the Condor Express, to the delight of the passengers and the camera of yours truly. Amazing. I'll try to get this stuff up on the website by tomorrow afternoon. ATTENTION: THERE ARE ONLY A FEW WEEKS LEFT OF THIS AMAZING SOUTHBOUND GRAY WHALE MIGRATION OUT AT THE ISLANDS. TOO SOON THEY WILL BE DONE FOR 2012 AND THE SCHEDULE WILL SHIFT TO COASTAL 2.5 HOUR TRIPS FOR NORTHBOUND WHALES RETURNING TO THE ARCTIC. DON'T MISS THIS SHOW WHILE YOU STILL HAVE A GREAT CHANCE OF SEEING UNPREDICTABLE WILD BEHAVIORS. PASS THE WORD TO YOUR CLIENTS AND FRIENDS WHILE THIS SPECTACULAR SUNNY WEATHER CONTINUES TO SHINE UPON US AND BRING GOOD FORTUNE.
01-26-2012Friends, Here's what we closely observed today: 4 Gray Whales 100 Long-beak Common Dolphins All the action was along the north face of Santa Cruz Island today. A bright, sunny day...more like summer than winter...made the cetacean viewing even more enjoyable In addition to the expert crew on the Condor Express with over 35 years of experience, Channel Islands Naturalist Corps volunteer naturalists, representatives from the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and National Park, are usually on board and available to answer your questions during the trip. Best fishes and have a WHALE of a day! Bob Perry Condor Express
01-22-2012A moderate breeze and very large, long period ground swell kept everyone alert on the way over to the west end of Santa Cruz Island. Skys were partly cloudy, and opened up to more and more sun as the day went along. There was a mother lode of Gray Whales and a solid diversity of other mammale today. Here's what we closely observed today: 10 Gray Whales 1,000 Long beaked Common Dolphins 10 Risso's Dolphins 10 Dall's Porpoise 50 Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins All in all a fantastic day to be on board the Condor Express! In addition to the expert crew on the Condor Express with over 35 years of experience, Channel Islands Naturalist Corps volunteer naturalists, representatives from the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and National Park, are usually on board and available to answer your questions during the trip. Best fishes and have a WHALE of a day! Bob Perry Condor Express
01-19-2012Friends, Here's what we closely observed today: 8 Gray Whales
01-17-2012Colleagues, I had the great fortune of being on board today with my camera bag in hand. I've been on the water my whole life, and although I am still a young man, this was one of the all time best. Picture this: a mill pond mirror glassy surface, grey with very little glare due to the thin overcast. Unbelievable visibility from Boney Ridge in Malibu to Point Arguello, and all four SB Channel Islands clearly visible. Add to this silvery environment a plethora of cetaceans and fish, and one extreme encounter with a Gray Whale, and, well, you get the picture. I hope I got the picture myself, and hope to have the 40+ GB of images I shot today processed and posted for your viewing enjoyment by tomorrow night, if possible. Meanwhile, you'll just have to make due with the following counts of animals we observed closely. Again, the Risso's were carrying on, breaching, racing, acting wild and pestering the heck out of the single Gray Whale. Meanwhile, with playful behavior or minor annoyance, the Gray interacted with the Risso's, Commons and Sea Lions by rolling around, spy-hopping continually while upside down, slapping its tail and showing off its fat pectoral fins. It made at least 3 or 4 runs towards the bow of the Condor Express, and could clearly be seen in the crystal clear blue water. What a day!
01-16-2012Friends, Here's what we closely observed today: It was post-storm windy today, so we ran east to find nicer conditions.
01-12-2012Friends, The western end of Santa Cruz Island has been going bananas with wildlife the past few days. Today was no exception: The Risso's were carrying on, breaching, racing, acting wild in this AWESOME weather! There were tons of sea lions including one pup being released back into the wild after rehab at CIMWI (Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute).
01-11-2012Friends, A great day for mammal diversity. Here's what we watched closely: The Risso's were carrying on, pestering the Gray Whales. The Gray's were rolling and tumbling on the surface for at least 40 minutes. What a show!
01-08-2012Friends, The West Channel was nice and productive today. The Risso's were carrying on, breaching, etc.


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