DAILY SIGHTINGS

We enjoyed a beautiful day in the channel with a light wind chop. Our first whales of the day consisted of a pair of large adults. The whales were very lethargic at the surface, logging for long periods of time. These whales most likely had a big feed the day prior. FOOD COMA! Our next humpback was another adult with scarring along its body. We managed to snag a picture of the whale with snow on the top of the Santa Ynez Mountains, a rare combo for Santa Barbara. Soon we got

(This blog occurred on 2-13-2026) WHAT A DAY! It all came together today as we spent 3 hours of our 3.5-hour trip with whales and dolphins. The day started with birdnado after birdnado, as has been typical the last week or so. Then whale spouts EVERYWHERE, a nice change of pace from yesterday's encounter. Whales are fast-moving animals, and things in the ocean are constantly dynamic. These humpbacks moved in overnight into the area; all of our life had been the day before. Wh

The forecasted small craft advisory was pushed back further into the day. The weather was beautiful and the seas calm. We searched far and wide for whales and dolphins today. After checking a nearby feeding ground just off the coast, we sent it east after some reports of whales days prior. We've had some high winds the past two days, which can sometimes "push" the whales around. As was the case today, as we struggled to find whales early on. Nearly 70 miles later, we came acr

We encountered a very active group of 2,000+ common dolphins on today's trip, as well as 3 humpback whales in the mix. All of the life was concentrated in one square mile area today. Birds dove as dolphins leaped out of the water, and the whale's tails rose from the depths. Further outside, we found a single humpback that was tricky to get looks at. We also encountered a nice concentrated area with 7+ blue sharks in it! Until Next Time, The SBWW Crew

It feels like summer! We had sensational sightings today courtesy of the Santa Barbara Channel. Most of the whales we watched today were TINY! Most likely, some yearlings have been hanging around looking for a bite to eat. They certainly found it today as Birdnado after Birdnado lit up the horizon. These flocks of seagulls, pelicans, and cormorants found an endless buffet of anchovies to eat, corralled by the dolphins and whales aplenty. We watched as the small whales continu

A beautiful February day in the channel yielded humpback whales and common dolphins. All of our whales were found smack dab in the middle of the shipping lanes. Our first whale was a subadult on a mission! It was traveling east at a consistent 4 knots, coming up for 3 breaths at a time, before putting up its massive flukes. Next, we watched a pair of whales. They shared some interest in the boat as they repeatedly showed up on our sonar right below us before popping up behind

A whole smorgasborg of cetacea were seen on today's trip; 4 cetacean species in totality! Captain Adam led us west towards the western end of Santa Cruz Island. Before reaching the painted cave, we spent time with our first cetacean species of the day. ~15 dall's porpoise sped across our bow. They weaved in and out between us and spent a good amount of time bow riding. Nearby a small juvenile humpback gave us a few nice looks. We visited the world-famous painted cave and had

A stunning winter day, packed with an eventful agenda! After these crazy winter storms we've been having, debris was everywhere in the channel. Logs, bushes, sticks, and the occasional human garbage riddled the channel. Our first sighting of the day was a pair of humpbacks. The sub-adult pair fluked continuously as they headed west in the channel. We watched as a pair of large container ships passed by in the distance, adhering to the 10 knot voluntary speed reduction request

Another one of those incredible December days. A bit of a bump from yesterday's high winds resided in the channel, but didn't stop us from finding a whole bunch of marine life! Captain Devin reports incredible marine sightings. 7 humpback whales, 10 Dall's porpoise, and 100 common dolphins are a great way to start any trip. But ending the trip with a friendly pod of killer whales was THE BEST way to end it. On the way home, we happened upon a group of killer whales known as t

Just one of those days! Captain Devin found the Killer Whale pod, the CA51A's, on a beautiful day in the channel. We last saw these whales in June of 2024. The whales had clearly killed some sort of prey, most likely a sea lion or common dolphin, and were sharing the prey below the surface. Out of nowhere, 3 humpback whales soon began to harass the killer whales. For hours, the same pattern of killer whales coming to the surface to breathe, followed by humpback whales chasing

Captain Devin reports Perfect weather today which allowed him to find 15+ humpback whales and 1,000 common dolphins. This time of year, the whales are all moving around, migrating to and fro. However with the channel being such a productive marine hotspot. Many of the whales are still feeding into December. Competition behavior for the breeding season as well as feeding behavior are common this time of year, making it a great time to hop on a whale watching trip! Until Next T

WHAT A DAY! Captain Adam reports the conditions don't get any better! The whale action was great to match. Right out of the gate, we enjoyed four humpback whales lunge-feeding on anchovies. We had plenty of close passes as the whales fed with hundreds of sea lions. Further south and past the lanes, we ran into another large group of whales. It consisted of 6 large adults in a competitive state, as well as a few smaller whales on the outskirts. The whale's trumpet blew, raised

CRC-21399 Captain Adam reports another day with beautiful weather and lots of whales! We enjoyed a cow/calf pair close to shore. Tail flukes were seen by all. We then spent time with 100 or so common dolphins. The flat, calm sea conditions really emphasized the awesome encounter. South of the lanes, we found even more humpbacks. A competition pod of 6 whales. Among the whales was this individual, CRC-21399. This whale has been seen in Monterey Bay since 2023. It was never see

Captain Adam reports absolutely stunning sea conditions in the channel, along with some really nice sightings! Our first whales of the day made up a comp pod of 5 whales together. They trumpet blew, they threw their tails around, and put up high arching flukes. It was a bittersweet encounter knowing these whales will soon be headed south out of the feeding grounds. We soon found a beautiful pod of about 250 common dolphins. The glassy seas really accentuated this encounter. T

While this time of year can bring us some unpredictable weather, the last few days have remained the same, no wind and a slight bump. Captain Devin ran to the east in search of whales and dolphins. Luckily, he found both! Near the middle of the channel towards the east end of Santa Cruz Island, Devin found a nice honey hole, consisting of 6 humpback whales and 6 common dolphins: how unusual! We typically see common dolphins in the hundreds if not the thousands. Today however

Captain Devin reports lots of whales in the channel! We watched at least a dozen whales, capping the day with one happy breached! Over and over again, we witnessed one of the most powerful acts in nature, as a 40 ton humpback kept from the seas! Topped off with 2,000 common dolphins, it was another beautiful fall day in the channel 🐋