[CINC] Condor Express, 10/24/08

[Bart Francis]

Sightings:          7 Blues

                        1 Humpback (only a quick distant peek)

                        2,000 Common Dolphins

                        1 Blue Shark

 

This was quite simply the best day on the water that I have had as a CINMS
naturalist. Clear blue skies, flat calm glassy waters, zero swell. There
were only 12 passengers to enjoy this with us today, but they loved it. We
weren't 5 miles off shore when we encountered the first pair of blues and
caught a fleeting glimpse of the shy Humpie. I guess that must have been
where the food was today.  We soon came across another pair of blues and
spent an hour running back and for the between them. Later, we encountered a
6 ft.blue shark casually finning on the surface. Then, as we headed toward
Painted Cave, we came across a huge pod of common dolphins (about 2,000) and
wandered through them for another half hour. Not yet ready to call it a day,
on our way back, about 5 miles from SB, we ran into 3 blues, a female and 2
males. What was really interesting was the behavior of the males, who were
jostling each other in an effort to assert dominance and the right to trail
the female. The contest was pretty short-lived, and the loser quickly
retired.

Bart Francis

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