Condor Express Whale Watching

Condor Express Whale Watching Condor Express in Santa Barbara has been creating amazing whale watching experiences since 1979 🐋 Come aboard - Your Adventure Awaits!
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The Santa Barbara Channel offers some of the finest whale and dolphin watching in the world. View gray, humpback and blue whales, dolphins, orcas, seals and sea lions along the coast and at the Channel Islands. Gray whales pass along the cost during their annual migration every winter and spring. Friendly humpback and gigantic blue whales enter our Santa Barbara Channel to feed from March through

fall. The channel is home to over 27 species of whales and dolphins, six types of seals and sea lions, and countless seabirds and fish throughout the year. The Condor Express is an eco-friendly, 75’, quad-jet catamaran that has an extremely stable and comfortable ride. It carries up to 127 passengers. This state-of-the-art vessel uses water jet propulsion and was specially designed for allowing ocean mammals to visit up close without endangering them with a spinning propeller. Because of it’s design and speed, we get to the wildlife quickly, sit quietly, and allow whales and other sea life to visit with us.

Near perfect day 🌊
08/21/2025

Near perfect day 🌊

2025 08–20 SB ChannelWith clear skies and a warm subtropical breeze, one might think this was a “perfect“ day in the channel. It would have been so except for the 7 foot, short interval, west swell that relentlessly slowed every move we made up the coast. Once again, it was the decades of expe...

Whale was up to some shenanigans 😂
08/20/2025

Whale was up to some shenanigans 😂

2025 08–19 SB ChannelCaptain Dave and the crew found clear, sunny skies in our neck of the channel today. There was a moderate breeze, with a few white caps, and a 4 foot westerly swell. It was perfect conditions for stimulating dolphin and humpback whale behavior! Dave ran southwest and ended up ...

Couldn’t have had a more perfect day 🩵☀️🐋
08/19/2025

Couldn’t have had a more perfect day 🩵☀️🐋

2025 08–18 SB ChannelHooray! For the first time in a couple of weeks it was a bright and sunny day in the Channel. The ocean surface was glassy, and the water was very clear. Conditions were ideal conditions for wildlife locating and viewing. Captain Eddy and the crew ran directly southwest to a l...

We got a BREACHER 💙
08/18/2025

We got a BREACHER 💙

2025 08–17 SB ChannelCaptain Eddy and the crew ran south and ended up on a hotspot a few miles further south off the UCSB campus than yesterday. It was overcast all day and a light wind developed in the afternoon. There was a small swell from the west. Totals for the day: 2500 common dolphins and ...

08/17/2025

TONIGHT tonight!

What a lovely evening singing along to some of the classics with lovely company, all along the beautiful Santa Barbara coastline! 🎶🎭

Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Flip & Stanley put on quite a show today 🩵Read all about it!
08/17/2025

Flip & Stanley put on quite a show today 🩵

Read all about it!

2025 08–16 SB ChannelAll the action was 6 or 7 miles south of UCSB today. Skies were overcast, but winds were light, and there was hardly any swell. Captain Eddy and the crew had a phenomenal day in terms of whale and dolphin behaviors. Sightings included: 2000 common dolphins, 8 humpback whales (...

Friendliest of friends! 🤩
08/15/2025

Friendliest of friends! 🤩

2025 08–15 SB ChannelCaptain Eddy and the crew ran south, past the farm, and ended up in the lanes where most of the action was today. Skies were overcast with a dash of drizzle in the morning. Winds were light, and the swell was small. Total sightings for the day: 500 common dolphins, 7 humpback ...

We had it all today! Take a deeper dive into what we saw in the blog 🐋🩵☀️
08/13/2025

We had it all today!

Take a deeper dive into what we saw in the blog 🐋🩵☀️

2025 08–13 SB ChannelInland heat continues to drive the marine layer onshore and it was another gray day on the water. Several pieces of good news however: we experienced only a small bump on the water, and there was virtually no wind. Captain Dave and the crew headed west and ended up on a single...

Lunge feeding was on the menu today 🐋
08/13/2025

Lunge feeding was on the menu today 🐋

2025 08–12 SB ChannelThe sky today would’ve been clear except for a high stratus layer that was mixed with smoke from fires to the north of us. There was a moderate bump on the ocean, but not much wind. Captain Dave and the crew ran west to a hot spot that was about 4 miles south of platform Hol...

The crew pulls one out of there hat with dense fog 🫣
08/12/2025

The crew pulls one out of there hat with dense fog 🫣

2025 08–11 SB ChannelZero visibility fog made locating wildlife fairly impossible until 12:30 PM. Luckily there was no wind and only a light bump on the water. Captain Dave and the crew ran southwest (very slowly and cautiously), ending up near the buoy. Sightings for the day included: 3 humpback ...

Address

301 W Cabrillo Boulevard
Santa Barbara, CA
93101

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 6pm
Thursday 7:30am - 6pm
Friday 7:30am - 6pm
Saturday 7am - 6pm
Sunday 7am - 6pm

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About Condor Express Whale Watching

The Santa Barbara Channel offers some of the finest whale and dolphin watching in the world. View gray, humpback and blue whales, dolphins, orcas, seals and sea lions along the coast and at the Channel Islands. Gray whales pass along the coastline during their annual migration every winter and spring. Friendly humpback and gigantic blue whales enter our Santa Barbara Channel to feed from May through fall. The channel is home to over 27 species of whales and dolphins, six types of seals and sea lions, and countless seabirds and fish throughout the year. Come aboard - your adventure awaits! The Condor Express is an eco-friendly, 75’, quad-jet catamaran that has an extremely stable and comfortable ride. It carries up to 127 passengers. This state-of-the-art vessel uses water jet propulsion and was specially designed for allowing ocean mammals to visit up close without endangering them with a spinning propeller. Because of its design and speed, we get to the wildlife quickly, sit quietly, and allow whales and other sea life to safely visit with us.