Whale Watching Weekend Report at Channel Islands Whale Watching.

We headed offshore today with calm seas and overcast skies.

A quick scan of the horizon and several miles away we observed scattered dolphin feeding in Hueneme Canyon.

This deep water canyon works its way into the coast from the depths of the Santa Barbara Channel. As it narrows and hits the coast, it forms the entrance to the Port of Hueneme.

This canyon twists and turns as it winds its way into the shore. Relatively deep water is present just a short distance from the coast…over 300 feet.

In this deep water, we often observe dolphin and sea lions foraging on fin bait and squid.

Today we encountered several sub adult Grays playing with the dolphin in the area.

Such behavior is rare to observe, yet this is the time of year we see it most.

We tagged along as a Gray circled and chased dolphin, often swimming on his back, rolling over, tail lobbing and spy hopping.

All this, within a mile of the coast.

Yet another incredible day at sea.

I’ve made the comment before, yet at the risk of being redundant, it always amazes me that we have so much wildlife just a few miles offshore, in one of the most populated areas in our country.

We are a short drive north of Los Angeles, yet worlds apart from the burgeoning population of coastal Southern California.

We are looking forward to the next few days as the weather looks good and the whales are on the move.