The only thing that can outdo 20 blue whales… a LUNGEFEEDING FIN WHALE! It’s absolutely incredible out in the channel right now with endless amounts of blue, fin, and humpback whales. 🐋
A BABY BLUE WHALE 🐋 was just one of 12+ blue whales we saw on today’s excursion! Just about everywhere we looked, spouts covered the horizon. Not only did we see more than a dozen blue whales, we also some some fins and humpbacks as well 💪🏻 However nothing compares to seeing the emergence of a brand new baby blue. At around 25 feet long and 6,000 pounds at birth, these gargantuan babies can gain as much as 200 lbs A DAY while feeding on mom’s fatty milk. This is such a special sighting, our crew hasn’t seen a baby blue in the channel since 2021 🫶🏻💙Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #bluewhale #balaenopteramusculus
Another spectacular day in the channel! 🐋 7+ humpback whales, 2 blue whales, and 3,000 common dolphins 🤯 it’s heating up to be quite an incredible summer! 💙 #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #bluewhale #balaenopteramusculus
Absolute DREAM LIKE conditions today gave us an incredible look into the wild world of blue whales! 🐋 Like entering a portal from our world into theirs, the aerial perspective displays the true size and beauty of these gentle giants. We watched 5+ blue leviathans today as well as some humpbacks, a fin whale, and a gray whale; the Santa Barbara GRAND SLAM! Look closely, and you’ll notice some small barnacles lining the lower jaw of this big blue. To put it into perspective, some of those barnacles are the size of your fist! 🤜🏻🤛🏻Weather looks incredible all week; we’re pretty stoked about it 😎 Hop on board for your chance to see the largest animal on planet earth 🌍 Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #bluewhale #balaenopteramusculus
15+ humpback whales today! An extraordinary day in the channel. We have spots for tomorrow’s excursion and we hope to see you there! Book your tour online now on whalewatchsantabarbara.com 🐋
A spectacular day in the channel spent with 3 GIANT BLUE WHALES 🐋 Off the Eastern end of Santa Cruz Island, 3 blue whales fed on an abundance of krill 🦐 These gentle giants are krill specialists; wherever you find krill, the blue whales will not be far behind. The whales were sticking to a consistent 5-6 minute dive making for some incredible views and lots of time in their presence. Today marked the first blue whale sighting for every one of our 6 passengers. Being able to share the unique size and beauty of these endangered giants is such a treat for our small team here at @sbwhalewatch As the season progresses, we can only hope there’s enough krill to go around for all of our finned friends! Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #bluewhale #balaenopteramusculus
It’s always an honor to repay our oceans for all they’ve done for us, in whatever capacity we can 🙌🏻After getting great looks at a fin whale, distant looks at a blue whale, and an incredible encounter with a huge pod of common dolphins, our crew spotted a wriggling mass of netting, kelp, and fur. It turned out to be a young Guadalupe fur seal entangled in a net 💔 These interesting little eared seals are not so common in the channel. While we’re more accustomed to seeing harbor seals and sea lions, a small breeding colony of Guadalupe fur seals resides on San Miguel island. This little seal got himself badly entangled in some kind of nylon netting. After spending some time trying to help the young seal our crew was eventually able to get him on board our vessel. We cut the seal free of its entanglement and released him into the Santa Barbara channel. Exhausted from its ordeal, this young seal had enough energy to porpoise away with great speed and prowess 🫶🏻🦭Huge thank you to our crew and passengers and some extra equipment from our friends at the @condorexpress for saving the life of this young seal today! Teamwork makes the dream work in ensuring the health and safety of marine life in our backyard 💪🏻*If you see an entangled pinniped, dolphin, or whale, whether it be on a beach or at sea, be sure to call your local marine mammal hotline to alert them of the situation (here in Santa Barbara ours is @cimwi ). Take photos and stay on scene as long as you can. Intervening is not recommended, as a distressed animal can cause serious injury to both you and itself. In this situation, the quick action of our crew was the only option to free this little seal of his frightening ordeal ❤️🩹*#santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #bluewhale #balaenopteramusculus
The tail from a mighty blue whale 🐋 Today’s excursion took us too a hotspot off the Northwestern edge of Santa Cruz Island. Along the infamous ‘07 line, we caught up with a gargantuan blue whale as well as a few humpback whales.The abundance and distribution of blue whales in the channel has fluctuated heavily the past few years. Some years dozens of these giants show up to feed in our waters. Other years, not a single blue whale is seen at all. Blue whales are almost strict krill eaters, so where the krill goes, the blues will soon follow. It’s been an amazing experience to witness these giants in the channel this year, especially so early on.Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #bluewhale #balaenopteramusculus
Mother’s Day spent with the ocean’s greatest moms! 💙We caught up with a pod of killer whales today with a brand new calf in tow! Spring continues to be an incredible time to see these apex predators in the channel, today marked our 3rd encounter with them in the past month. These three made plenty of close passes by our vessel; and hunted a young sea lion nearby. Thank you to our friend Captain Eddie aboard the @condorexpress for the killer report this morning 🙌🏻We also spent time with 5 humpback whales and 1,000 common dolphin after we left the orca. With blue whales, fin whales, killer whales, and humpback whales seen in the last week, it’s rearing up to be an incredible summer here in Santa Barbara! 🔥 Huge thank you to our friend Kelsey @kpwhatsthesitch__ for these videos! 💙#killerwhale #commondolphins #ocean #nature #wildlife #discoverocean #dolphin #whale #whalewatching #seesb #santabarbara #southerncalifornia #california #travel #orca #sbwhalewatch #santabarbarawhalewatch
BLUE WHALES! 🐋 For the first time in our companies history today, our crew and passengers spent time with the largest creature on planet earth 🌍 Captain @devin.hunt found 2 feeding blue whales in the channel! For weeks our crew has been astounded by the number of red necked phalaropes in the channel. The presence of these tiny birds usually means one thing…KRILL 🦐 Where there is krill, there is also blue whales. The Santa Barbara channel has historically been one of the best places in the world to view blue whales. However the past couple of years, the krill stocks have been down, and the blue whales have chosen to feed elsewhere. This is a great sign that krill levels are up this year, and we’re hoping for more encounters with these massive animals throughout the summer! #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #bluewhale #balaenopteramusculus
Orcas AGAIN today, our second encounter with these apex predators this week! 🙌🏻April and May have historically been the best months of the year to see killer whales in California waters. While the Santa Barbara channel has historically gotten a few sightings in the spring, encounters are becoming more frequent with more eyes on the water and an increase in affinity for these incredible whales.Our crew and passengers enjoyed looks at 7 killer whales along Santa Rosa Island, and it wouldn’t be possible without our friend @lawofthelandnsea with @pacificoffshore and his “orca alert” this morning! We’re privileged to be a part of a tight knit community of whale lovers here in the @sbwhaleheritage area! Thanks to our passenger for this awesome video! #killerwhale #commondolphins #ocean #nature #wildlife #discoverocean #dolphin #whale #whalewatching #seesb #santabarbara #southerncalifornia #california #travel #orca #sbwhalewatch #santabarbarawhalewatch
On Wednesday, our private whale watch had an incredible encounter with rarely seen KILLER WHALES! 😱We identified the whales as the CA58s and CA163 “Liner.”While we typically see these apex predators closer to the islands, Captain @devin.hunt found these whales mid channel, it soon became apparent why. Gray whales are a favorite prey of killer whales this time of year, and have been few and far between for us. That being said, we’ve seen quite a few in an outer corridor near the middle of the channel. After arriving on scene with the trio of orca, a piece of gray whale blubber appeared from the depths. These whales had recently killed and consumed a gray whale (most likely a calf), which is an extremely rarely documented event in the channel. This day gave us a raw and real look into the power of our oceans, and is truly a day our crew and passengers will never forget! Videos by Captain @devin.hunt #killerwhale #CA140B #commondolphins #ocean #nature #wildlife #discoverocean #dolphin #whale #whalewatching #seesb #santabarbara #southerncalifornia #california #travel #orca #sbwhalewatch #santabarbarawhalewatch
“CLOSER THAN EVER,” took on a whole new meaning today! 🐋For almost two hours, these curious humpback whales circled our boat in flat calm seas; our second friendly encounter in as many days! We were left speechless as these gentle giants gave us an intimate look into their inquisitive minds 🙌🏻Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #commondolphin
Among 15+ humpback whales, this one stole the show! 🚀 We found this CHAMPION breacher right out the gates today and enjoyed its boisterous nature. Breaching with such power and grace, there’s nothing like watching these incredible humpbacks explode out of the water 💥🐋 Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #commondolphin
HUMPBACK WHALES 🐋 // COMMON DOLPHINS 🐬 These two species have been our bread and butter the past week as we’ve explored the Santa Barbara channel. Massive groups of both of these incredible marine mammals have been seen feeding together daily. Summer definitely came early, you won’t hear us complaining! 🫶🏻Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #commondolphin
Fun for the whole family, our whale watches are sure to please! 🐋💙Not only did we have 12+ humpback whales today, 2 gray whales, and a blue shark, the highlight of the trip was this huge pod of common dolphins! Our low to the water vessel makes you feel like you’re part of the pod, as we race alongside dolphins on a daily basis. Today’s wonderful sea conditions gave us an incredible look into the lives of these curious ocean going critters 🐬 #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #humpback #humpbackwhale #whale #whalewatching #seesb
A giant feeding frenzy of 10+ humpback whales gave us just about every trick in the books today! 👏🏻From breaching to lunge-feeding to some very interesting inter-species social behavior, we saw it all today in the Santa Barbara channel. Perfect sea conditions 🌊 allowed us to search far and wide as we located this huge feeding frenzy. Just about everywhere we looked whales were actively feeding or socializing at the surface. As the spring feeding event ramps up with more and more whales, we can’t wait to see what the @sbwhaleheritage area has in store 🙌🏻Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #commondolphin
Endless amounts of dolphins today off the coast of @ucsantabarbara 🐬🙌🏻Today marked the end of a strong push of wind in the channel, the weather for the next week looks beautiful! Our spring season is heating up with lots of whale and dolphin activity, we can’t wait to see what the weekend has in store! 🐋#commondolphins #ocean #nature #wildlife #discoverocean #dolphin #whale #whalewatching #seesb #santabarbara #southerncalifornia #california #travel
Our humpback season is off to a smashing start here in Santa Barbara 💥 as we watched 12+ humpies today in our coastal waters! 🐋When humpbacks first arrive in the spring months, they tend to love our nutrient rich coastal waters. As the season progresses, they’ll spread throughout the channel, and throughout the rest of the west coast! From the channel, to Monterey Bay, even up to Washington state and southern British Colombia, we’re privileged to see a healthy population of ~5,000 humpback whales. We saw all kinds of behaviors today from breaching whales, to socializing whales, to even a few getting a bit frisky! You just never know what the Santa Barbara channel is gonna hold on any given day 🙌🏻Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #santabarbara #santabarbarawhalewatch #sbww #santabarbarachannel #channelislands #southerncalifornia #killerwhale #orca #whale #whalewatching #seesb #humpback #commondolphin
Well it’s no whale, but it’s about the size of one! 🦈Our guests were treated to close looks at VERY rare treat today… a basking shark! These large filter feeding sharks are the second largest shark species in the world. They travel the high seas in search of huge plankton blooms to sift through. While we might see them every 2-3 years here in the Santa Barbara Channel, we do seem to have the most consistent sightings along the coast. After years of working in the channel, our crew can count their basking shark sightings on a single hand! Truly an exceptional day at sea 🙌🏻Thank you to our friends @holly_lohuis @islandpackers for the Shark report this morning! 💙Video by @adamernsterwildlife with captain @devin.hunt at the helm 🛥️ #baskingshark #santabarbara #seesb #ocean #nature #shark #cetorhinusmaximus #drone #pacificocean #santabarbarachannel #wildlife #sbwhalewatch #santabarbarawhalewatch
