Blue Whales in our patch of the SoCal ocean

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Finally, after seven years of sailing the Santa Barbara Channel, I finally encountered Blue Whales. Sorry to say I wasn’t able to get any pictures. You’ll just have to believe that we saw 6, maybe up to 10 of these huge critters.

It was a day of low overcast and very flat seas and I’m guessing their spouts were visible for more than 2 miles. They’re not athletic showoffs like our friendly humpbacks. They’re just big. Impressive, like the first time you see an aircraft carrier.

They were – and have been – cruising just south of platform Grace

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About Capt. Dan

Capt. Dan is an American Sailing Association certified instructor and runs a sail charter operation in Southern California. I'm particularly interested in sailing (obviously) and ecology issues, particularly those affecting the Channel Islands here in Southern California

3 thoughts on “Blue Whales in our patch of the SoCal ocean”

  1. Thats great you finally saw some blues. I was in the same area with Chris and Dwight a couple of weeks ago and we saw one blue just cruzing along the surface.

  2. Karla and I saw a pod of them about 4 weeks ago. There were at least 5 and they too were a couple of miles west of Gina. The height of their spout and incredible length made it obvious that they were Blues. It’s amazing that they are still there.

  3. Randy, Chris and I were heading out to Santa Cruz when Randy spotted the blue whale crusing on the surface. Maybe Randy and Chris missed it, but I saw it breech and when it did, the side of the whale reflected the sunlight. The only adjective I can use is magnificent. I wish I could have taken a picture. I am not sure I will ever see a sight like that again.