The week in whales

We wrapped our weekend up today with good weather and great sightings both Saturday and Sunday.

Channel Islands National Park and National Marine Sanctuary is the place to view whales this time of year. Just a short 60 miles north of Los Angeles yet worlds apart, wildlife abounds in the protected waters of this tiny archipelago.

Steady as she goes…

Grays are headed south on an annual migration that spans some 12,000 miles making it one of the longest for any mammal on earth. We experience both south and north bound migrations as we are positioned perfectly along the coast.

During the months of January and February, we witness a steady stream of southbound Grays as they head for their calving grounds in the shallow bays and lagoons of Baja Mexico. As we head offshore in search of these leviathans, our journey typically takes us right by tiny Anacapa Island.

On this day, we encountered a pod of 5 as they ventured south just off iconic Arch Rock…a 40 foot high natural arch that has stood the test of time.

In the past few weeks, we have seen good numbers of south bounders in addition to one of their main predators, the Orca.

Pods of Orca follow migratory species such as the Gray in their quest to remain the top predator in our global waterway.

In addition, colonies of sea lions have gathered along the rugged rocky shores taking advantage of the seemingly endless feed that awaits them just beneath the waves.

This is truly an unspoiled refuge for aquatic life.

Our trips depart daily through April.

Sea you onboard,

Capt. Frank