Dolphins and Whales

I went whale watching with the American Cetacean Society, Los Angeles Chapter. We left Santa Barbara Harbor aboard the Condor and traveled into the Santa Barbara Channel, south of the islands between Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa. We sighted more than 12 Blue Whales and 20 Humpback Whales. It was fascinating to observe them feeding on the plentiful krill.

Common Dolphins were also active, some in sizable pods. Common Murres, shearwaters, gulls, and sea lions could be seen on the trip, many feeding alongside the dolphins and whales. The whales scooped krill into their large, spoon-shaped mouths in many different ways, sometimes upside down. I was able to see the baleen hanging from their upper jaws and learn how it filters the krill.

We also met Dr. John Calambokidis and two other people working with Cascadia Research Collective and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. They were tagging whales and conducting research about sonar noise in the shipping channel. They stopped to explain how they were tagging the whales and why the Santa Barbara Channel is special for Blue and Humpback Whales.

The day was mostly foggy, so the slideshow’s image quality could be better. However, the opportunity to photograph whales feeding on krill at the surface was very special.