Fellow Naturalists,
Yesterdays Azure Seas WW had its rewards and tribulations.To start, Captain
Fred had everyone relocate and load on from the small wharf in the SB Harbor
and not from its usual lowered walkway on the wharf due to safety issues of
rolling seas. As a result, the departure was delayed 30 min. Gathering together
again at the harbor all of the roughly 35 passengers, who were from the
Carolinas, TX, FL, Germany, Ireland, Britain, as well as So Cal locals, had the
opportunity to see five different sightings of Grey whales pairs, all were an
adult and juvenile together.As Captain Fred headed up the coast, the first Grey
whale sighing was about two miles just outside the harbor entrance and then
they occurred fairly frequently about 15 to 20 min apart, and all were about
1/4 to 1/2 mile from the boat. Each pair had an extended period of diving, 5
to 10 min before we would see them again or, in some cases, not at all. This
triggered the most asked question of the day for me, "how long do they dive
for". The boiling seas and multidirectional wave action made for a rough
afternoon and, as a result, a few of the passengers became seasick. However,
the sea conditions improved enough for a calmer trip back to the harbor. No
Dolphins were sighted on this trip and the usual sun bathing sea lions with a
few harbor seals rounded out our marine mammal exposure for the day. Captain
Fred along with his Co-Captain Kathy and able crewman Jerry hosted our trip.
John.Chackel, Naturalist
