4+ Humpbacks in the shipping lanes
- Santa Barbara Whale Watch
- Feb 5
- 1 min read
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 us about 50 feet. This cycle repeated for a good 30 minutes before they moved on. Cautiously Curious! Here we also found a small group of 20 common dolphins.
While we saw at least two more whales in the distance, the last whale of the trip was found in close proximity to a massive container ship. Thankfully for the whales, this ship is enrolled in the Blue Whales Blue Skies program and was traveling at a whale-safer speed of 8 knots. Allowing the whale to swim by without conflict! We are so thankful to have an incredible team of scientists, leaders, and ocean advocates working for the betterment of the whales in our backyard.
Another beautiful day in the SBC.
Until Next Time,
The SBWW Crew
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