"The Friendly Pod," of killer whales off Santa Cruz Island

Today was an adventure, to say the least!

We left the harbor with a bit of hope that we would find yesterday's killer whales. We ran a route we thought they could still be hanging out in before the wind kicked up significantly. As it typically does, it got nautical in the shipping lanes. Our crew and passengers brunted the storm because our dear friend Holly Lohuis aboard Island Packers relayed that they had found killer whales! A completely different pod than the ones we saw yesterday.

We eventually made it out of the wind as we tucked into the north coast of Santa Cruz Island. Here we found the CA51's or "the friendly pod." True to their name, they made a close pass by our boat, and everyone had stellar looks. They continued cruising past prisoners' harbor on Santa Cruz Island, at one point only 150 yards from shore! The wind had picked up again substantially, so we opted to b-line home before it got too rough, waving goodbye to our killer whale friends. Not long after we left, boats reported that they soon met up with the killer whales we saw yesterday! A perfect full circle kind of day in the ever-adventuous Santa Barbara Channel.

Until Next Time,

The SBWW Crew