[CINC] Orcas off of SCI

[Trent Barnhart]

Did anyone here of this sighting? Or did I just miss it?
 
Thanks,
Trent B
 
Killer whales emerge off Santa Barbara
9:57 AM, September 29, 2008
Diane and Bernardo Alps, prominent members of the American Cetacean Society's Los Angeles chapter, sent Outposts the
accompanying photos of orcas they encountered Saturday while aboard the Condor Express out of Santa Barbara.
My response was one of disbelief. I too was in the Santa Barbara Channel on Saturday, en route to and, later, from Santa Cruz
Island. I did not even see any dolphins, partly because of persistent fog.
Orcas, or killer whales, are not commonly seen off Southern California. They are an apex predator and always a great discovery for
marine mammal enthusiasts.
Passengers aboard the Condor Express, despite limited visibility, were greeted by 800 common dolphins before the orca sighting
off the west end of Santa Cruz Island.
'We were traveling slow, looking for blue whales, when we spotted small blows up ahead,' Diane Alps reported. 'We were thrilled
to discover they were orcas! Once we got closer, we noticed an oil slick. We also noticed that occasionally birds would mob an area
where the orcas surfaced.
'These signs indicated they had probably recently killed something -- most likely something small, by the size of the slick. They
were playful, breaching several times and crossing under and around the boat.'
It was quite the cozy unit: An adult male, two females and one juvenile, out on foray. The male, with a drooped-over dorsal fin, had
been seen in the channel before.
'We stayed with them for approximately an hour before heading off the see the Painted Cave and the rest of Santa Cruz Island,'
Diane Alps said.
Alas, all I saw was gray water and sky.
--Pete Thomas
Photos by Diane Alps
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