The Whale Day

The staff of SantaBarbara.com took a Saturday morning to test drive a local whale watch.  With our accumulated residency of 45 years and nary a watch amongst us, we thought it was time.

We began at 9 a.m. and the tour lasted about three hours.  Of course we stocked up on Dramamine, but the ocean was very calm that day so it was unnecessary. 

We went out on the Double Dolphin, which is a 50' catamaran, figuring that if we didn't see any whales they could at least haul up the sail.  Fortunately for us, we saw a whale AND the sails came up.

The boat left the harbor and turned "up" the coast towards Goleta.  The morning was very cool but the sun was out.  It's sort of backwards from the weather that you really want - warm and cloudy.  No shivers and no squints.

When the captain announced that we were heading along the coast, we were a bit dubious at first.  The only one of us with whale watching experience is from the East Coast - Boston to be exact.  There the whales feed far out in the ocean.   The boat wasn't leaving the channel!

But we were patient.  We first saw sea lions resting on a buoy and then found an enormous school of dolphins, which were actually the most fun of the trip.  Whales are breath-taking.  Dolphins are just plain fun. We were on a catamaran so we could stand in the bow not more than 8-10 feet from the water.  Seven or eight dolphins at a time dodged in and out of the twin hulls of the boat.  It was very thrilling to see how fast these amazing creatures could swim!  It was also amazing to see them racing to GET to the boat so they could play around the hull. They obviously found this an enjoyable game.  We weren't the only ones enjoying the whale watch.

Just as we were about to give up, news came in over the radio that a whale had been spotted - not more than 100 yards off the wharf.  When we got to the whale - a young California grey - the captain turned off the engines and we sailed very quietly along behind the whale as she rose to the surface to breath and then dove down to feed.  It was almost eerie to hear the pop and whoosh of her exhale.

The whale watch ended shortly thereafter and we ran to Brophy's for lunch.  All that fresh air and animal watching sharpened the appetite.

All in all it was an excellent way to spend a Saturday morning.