9:00 trip
Captain Dave, Colton, & Devin
Naturalists: Sue Miller, John Brinker, & Dino Dal Bon as PID
3 Humpbacks
1 Stellar Sea Lion
20+ Common Dolphins
Passengers were dressed appropriately for a very, very, foggy morning. The
water was calm and would've been perfect for spotting blows if not for the fog
and gloom. As soon as we exited the harbor we saw an unusual sight on the 1st
buoy. Not the usual Sea Lions, but 1 young and very large Stellar Sea Lion
looking quite comfortable as the buoy listed to one side.
We headed east toward the oil platforms and came across 3 Humpbacks. We were
fortunate to observe them for most of the trip with several "lazy" deep dives.
A few tail flukes but nothing that warranted great gasps or "ooh's and ahh's".
A few passengers were lucky to see one whale lunge feed once, some only caught
the enormous splash but excited passengers nevertheless.
The sun barely peaked out until we docked, but the passengers were happy.
12:00 trip
Captain Dave, Colton, & Devin
Naturalists: Sue Miller, John Brinker and Dino Dal Bon as PID
5 Humpbacks
Many birds
Fog lifted ever so slightly and we headed in the same direction as the 9:00am
trip. The Stellar Sea Lion was gone and our usual Sea Lions were on the buoy.
Always a great start to the trip for the passengers. Many blows east of the
platforms with some bird activity which Captain Dave recognized immediately.
We were fortunate to have many close looks with several deep dives. We came
across a mother/calf which is always a special treat to see. One lone
California Sea Lion came right next to the boat and swam around and peeked up
at us several times almost as if to say, "Hey, watch me too".
We were a bit late getting back because of the close looks that are always so
hard to leave.
No 3:00 trip today - Private Charter
Until I board again,
Sue Miller
