Before you go whale watching in Santa Barbara, you should learn a little bit about the whale species that can be seen here! How many species of whales are here, why do they come here, and what can they tell us about the health of our local channel and ocean as a whole? I’ve been working on vessels in the Santa Barbara Channel for over four years, and can tell you from experience when to find specific whale species here and what they each come here for, but the part we see is only a small part of their story!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, designed to allow The Unremarkable Climber (me) to earn a small commission if you choose to book through them, at no extra cost to you. This really helps support the site and lets me know you find this information valuable! That being said, all of the experiences I recommend, commission based or not, are genuine recommendations for some of my favorite activities, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I have! Feel free to drop any questions in the message box below.
Who Cares About Whales?
The ocean is one of earths greatest treasures. Life on land began in the ocean, yet we still haven’t classified over 90% of the species found there. It plays a critical role to our survival on land by acting as a buffer and absorbing heat and chemicals from our atmosphere.
More than half the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean from little plant plankton called phytoplankton. Those little phytoplankton are also the foundation for the ocean food web that we rely so heavily on for seafood around the world. You might say these phytoplankton are important, but what about the whales?
Whales act as giant fertilizers for these phytoplankton and thus contribute heavily to our survival here on Earth. They eat at depth and poop at the surface and migrate across oceans, bringing nutrients into nutrient devoid waters.
They have unique cultures, social structures, and musicality. They are a marvel of nature, breathing air yet spending their lives at sea. Who wouldn’t want to catch a glimpse of these beautiful, intelligent creatures?
Which Whales Can We See While Whale Watching in Santa Barbara?
Toothed Whale Watching in Santa Barbara (Odontoceti)
Many species of odontoceti—toothed whales—can be found in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Common toothed whales in the Santa Barbara Channel include common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and Risso’s dolphins.
Less frequently, you’ll encounter orca whales—the largest dolphin species—as well as pacific white-sided dolphins, Dall’s porpoise, and even the largest of the toothed whales: sperm whales. I’ve even seen false killer whales on one occasion which was a very rare surprise.
Toothed whales usually come to the Santa Barbara Channel to feed, or pass through while looking for food. They hunt using echolocation, and breath out of only one blowhole.
Below are the toothed whales I’ve spotted while working on the Santa Barbara Channel for the past four years. I’ll help you figure out when to go whale watching in Santa Barbara so that you can have the best chance of seeing them too!
Common Dolphins
Common dolphins are residents in the Santa Barbara Channel, which means you can see them year-round while whale watching in Santa Barbara!
Common dolphins can be separated into two groups: long-beaked and short-beaked, but it’s pretty challenging to tell them apart. They are usually found in deeper water mid-channel, and are usually looking for food or feeding.
There are over 25,000 common dolphins in the Santa Barbara Channel, so it’s common to see megapods— groups of hundreds to thousands all swimming together! These dolphins can only survive in the wild, so the only place you can see them is out at sea, surrounded by thousands of their closest relatives.
Luckily, they are very boat friendly, so they will usually come racing over to your boat to surf the wake the boat produces. I get to see them almost every day I go out on the ocean!
Common dolphins are critical to our understanding of our local waters. Each dolphin must eat upwards of 10 pounds of fish per day to sustain their high metabolism. As a whole, this population requires roughly a quarter million pounds of food every single day. As a result, we consider them an indicator species— indicating the health of the Santa Barbara Channel.
Different populations of common dolphins live in virtually every temperate ocean around the world, so the idea is if the conditions aren’t suitable for survival off our coast, they would just leave and find a new home. Their presence here speaks volumes to the health and productivity of our local waters!
Other species love them too because they find and gather food into tight bait balls where all sorts of other animals like large baleen whales, seabirds, and sharks can take advantage of their finely tuned hunting strategies. We call this a feeding frenzy!
Bottlenose Dolphins
Bottlenose dolphins can be found in two distinct populations in the Santa Barbara Channel: coastal and offshore.
Coastal bottlenose dolphins patrol the local beaches just outside the surf in small family groups of five to ten animals. You can frequently see them from the beaches in Santa Barbara.
Offshore bottlenose dolphins are usually encountered in larger groups of up to fifty individuals and are usually found in deeper water near the Channel Islands.
Though less frequently encountered than common dolphins, they are much larger and tend to be more acrobatic than common dolphins. They often launch multiple feet out of the water and occasionally do flips in the the wake behind the boat.
Bottlenose dolphins, like common dolphins, can be considered an indicator species and are a crucial part of our local oceanic ecosystem. They act as top predators by regulating the entire food web from the top down. They currently find plenty of food locally, so you can spot them all year round!
I usually spot them about once a week on my way back and forth to the Channel Islands.
Risso's Dolphins
Risso’s dolphins are a special sighting! They are found in smaller groups around ten animals. They have a unique scratched up gray appearance— evidence of fights with other dolphins as well squid, their main prey source.
Risso’s dolphins are most commonly spotted in Santa Barbara in the fall when the local squid spawn. We often spot them near the Channel Islands, especially on the south side of the islands in deep water.
Pacific White-Sided Dolphins
Pacific white-sided dolphins are a rare treat! We usually spot them every year at some point during the winter months. They prefer colder water and are usually in small groups of around five individuals, though I once spotted a pod of over forty animals near San Miguel Island! They have beautiful coloration that sets them apart from common dolphins. It’s always a nice surprise to see these dolphins!
Orca (Killer) Whales
Orca whales, otherwise known as killer whales, are definitely a favorite among the cetaceans! They are the largest dolphin species, and potentially the most intelligent. We see them only a handful of times throughout the year.
Our local transient population feeds on other marine mammals like newborn gray whales, common dolphins, and most frequently California sea lions. They can be spotted at any time throughout the year, but are spotted almost every year between December 20th and January 5th towards the beginning of the gray whale migration.
Killer whales are incredibly intelligent, which is easily observed in their hunting strategies. The matriarchs teach the younger whales specific hunting strategies, unique to their family. I’ve witnessed “lesson time” for a young whale, when the adult whales caught a sea lion and allowed the juvenile to chase and hunt it as practice.
It’s been documented that orcas have a strong sense of culture, and different populations even speak different languages. It’s always a great day whale watching in Santa Barbara when killer whales are spotted!
False Killer Whales
I’ve only spotted false killer whales once in my four years in Santa Barbara. Typically a warmer water species, these solid black whales are very rarely seen whale watching in Santa Barbara. When they are spotted, it tends to be in the summer when the water is at its warmest. I was lucky enough to see a pod of twenty or so individuals within my first year on the water, but haven’t seen them since that first time.
Dall's Porpoises
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a Dall’s porpoise. They are very challenging to spot as they are small, very quick (can swim over 30mph), and barely break the surface of the ocean. They prefer the colder waters of the north Pacific, but are occasionally seen whale watching in Santa Barbara.
I’d recommend looking for these elusive porpoise in the wintertime. To spot one, you must have well-trained eyes and a lot of luck!
Sperm Whales
Another rare occurrence, sperm whales are the largest toothed whale and can grow up to 50 feet long. They are named for spermaceti, an oil sac found in their heads that helps focus their echolocation. This spermaceti made them a target for the commercial whaling industry, when their populations were almost hunted to extinction until their protection in 1986.
Feeding on squid at depth, they dive to 2000 feet regularly, but can dive to 10,000 feet and hold their breath for an hour if need be.
The only time I’ve spotted a sperm whale, it had just come up to the surface directly above Hueneme Submarine Canyon, most likely recovering after a deep dive. Luckily, we were able to spot the animal twice. Often, whale watchers will only get one glimpse of a sperm whale in the distance before it dives for another hour.
Although rare to spot, sperm whales can be spotted at any time of the year.
Baleen Whale Watching in Santa Barbara (Mysticeti)
Baleen whales, otherwise known as mysticeti or mustached whales, got their name from the broom-like structures hanging from their upper jaw. In the place of teeth, this baleen allows these giant animals to filter feed some of the smallest prey: small fish and krill.
Baleen whales range in size from the smallest—the minke whale at 25 feet—to the largest animal on earth— the blue whale, measuring up to 110 feet in length.
The most common baleen whales that you are likely to see while whale watching in Santa Barbara are humpback whales, gray whales, blue whales, fin whales, and minke whales.
These animals live their lives at a much slower pace than dolphins, but travel thousands of miles across the ocean every single year on annual migrations between feeding and breeding grounds.
Another difference? Baleen whales have two blowholes, so they have a very symmetrical spout.
Humpback Whales
Gray Whales
The best time for gray whale watching in Santa Barbara is from December through April/May. During this time, our local gray whale population is on a 12,000 mile round trip migration from their feeding grounds in Alaska to their breeding grounds in Baja Mexico. The Santa Barbara Channel is only a small stretch of water on their long journey.
As a result, they tend to move at a constant rate and their movements and breathing rate are very predictable— usually only diving for five minutes at a time.
They tend to follow specific landmarks like the Channel Islands chain, the underwater cliff-line mid-channel, and the mainland coast itself.
Occasionally, you’ll see some mating behavior and cow/calf pairs on the return trip in late spring. Very rarely, you’ll see a gray whale breach, but they are usually slow and steady swimmers. They are actually so slow that barnacles and other parasites are able to grow all over their bodies.
Usually, these whales neither feed nor give birth while passing through Santa Barbara, but during the past couple years, small groups of whales have been spotted sticking around into early summer feeding in the sandy shallows of Santa Rosa Island.
Gray whales are unique in their feeding method— choosing to take big mouthfuls of sand rather than water and filter feed on bottom-dwelling organisms rather than schooling fish or krill.
Blue Whales
Blue whale watching in Santa Barbara is best in July and August when they’re feeding in the area. These whales follow their food source, so sometimes they are found hundreds of miles north or south of Santa Barbara, with only a few individuals in the local area. However, some years I’ve seen over 15 animals surrounding the boat, all feeding on krill.
It’s pretty cool that the largest animal on earth (100+ feet in length) sustains itself on one of the smallest.
Because of their large size, blue whales rarely show their tails. It just takes too much energy! Consider yourself lucky if you happen to get a good glimpse of a blue whale tail.
Blue whales are also a bit trickier to spot than humpback and gray whales because they usually hold their breath for much longer— averaging 10-15 minute dives. A blue whale can swim pretty far in that time, which makes them quite elusive.
Although challenging, spotting the largest animal on earth is a pretty magnificent sight!
Fin Whales
Similar to blue whales, fin whales are just a bit smaller, but incredibly fast swimmers, despite their massive size. They eat small schooling fish and krill, and can be found feeding near humpback whales and blue whales in the summertime, which is the best time to spot these creatures.
Like blue whales, they often hold their breath for over 10 minutes. Their lung capacity plus their speed makes fin whales an even trickier whale to watch, but when you do catch a glimpse, they are easily recognizable by their signature fin.
Minke Whales
Minke whales are the smallest and most common of the baleen whales. Only roughly 25 feet long, this small whale can be found year-round while whale watching in Santa Barbara, though they might be the toughest to watch.
Usually traveling alone, minke whales tend to be more boat shy than the others and are known as the “captain’s whale” because usually only the boat captain sees them before they disappear.
Despite their shy nature, a social minke whale will “bow-ride” on occasion— surfing the pressure wake just below the bow of the boat. Most frequently though, you’ll get one or two brief looks in the distance before they dive down and quickly disappear.
Minkes can be identified by their “minke mittens“, white spots on their fins, as well as their dolphin-like behavior. However, they can be confused with juvenile fin whales, as they have a similar sickle-shaped dorsal fin.
Best Whale Watching in Santa Barbara
The following companies offer sustainable whale watching trips at various times throughout the year. These companies prioritize the safety of whales over profits and recognize the local whale populations’ environmental importance.
If you’d like to go whale watching in Santa Barbara, you should definitely sign up through one of the following companies! Just click on the following whale watch options to learn more!
Departing from Santa Barbara Harbor:
Departing from Ventura Harbor:
Departing from Channel Islands Harbor:
Whales Still Aren't Safe
Despite our fascination, humans still impact the lives of whales whether we try to or not. Some countries still hunt whales commercially. Others capture them for marine parks. Many countries that don’t capture whales themselves still import whales for these parks.
When whales aren’t being hunted, they’re still getting accidentally caught in fishing gear, struck by ships, and impacted by our pollution and the long term effects of climate change.
Commercial Whaling
Whales were hunted worldwide for their blubber, which was processed into oil which literally lit the world before electricity. Unfortunately, whaling continued long after the discovery of fossil fuels.
In the 1960s alone, 700,000 whales were killed. Most large baleen whale species numbers were reduced. Blue whales in particular were hunted until only 1.5% of their original population remained, and they still haven’t recovered.
In the United States, whales have been protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act since 1972. Internationally, the moratorium on commercial whaling was enacted in 1986, and most countries ceased hunting whales.
Unfortunately, a few countries still hunt these creatures, and some endangered species are turning up in international fish markets masquerading as a types of fish.
Despite this unfortunate reality, most populations worldwide are on the rise. Some, however, are too heavily impacted and might never recover.
Bycatch: An Unspoken and Unintentional Killer of Whales
A major threat to smaller whale species in particular is unintentionally getting caught in fishing gear as bycatch.
Some types of fishing like bottom trawling are more unsustainable than others, and capture many non-target species like dolphins, turtles, seals, sharks, seabirds, and other species of fish that inevitably die before getting released. Somewhere between 20%-40% of “fish” caught worldwide is actually bycatch. This includes 300,000 whales each year that die as a result of getting caught in fishing gear.
In addition to getting caught in gear, fishing some populations of fish deprives local whale populations of their food source, like the declining Southern Resident Killer Whale population who rely on the overfished Chinook salmon population.
Human Pollution and Whales
In nature, nothing goes to waste, but for humans, most things eventually do. When this waste makes its way to nature, it heavily impacts the environment and animals in it. Humans produce three main types of pollution: trash, chemical, and noise.
Whale Stomachs Are Full of Plastic
Whales easily mistake human trash for food. Plastic bags and mylar balloons look like jellyfish, and bits of microplastic can look like plankton. Fish mistake plastic for food too, and when whales eat thousands of fish in one gulp, the fish get digested, but the plastic stays in their stomachs forever.
While this plastic accumulation might not be the cause of death, it makes the whale feel full so it doesn’t eat as much as it should. Considering many baleen whale species fast for half of the year while migrating to breeding grounds, they need all the energy they can get.
When the whales eventually die, this plastic continues to live on in the ocean, making its way through the food chain again and again for hundreds of years.
I participated in a research project in college where I sorted and categorized the stomach contents of a short-finned pilot whale. The number of black plastic bag pieces and bits of plastic-based fishing lines and gear was eye-opening. The effect we have on all marine species is easy to forget, but spans the entire globe and all its oceans.
Chemical Pollution and Whales
Chemical pollution has a huge effect on whale populations. Toxins like arsenic, mercury, and lead from human activities like mining, pesticide use, and burning fossil fuels make their way into the ocean where they end up in fish populations (that humans often also eat). These toxins biomagnify in the systems of top predators like whales (and humans).
These toxins accumulate in the whales’ blubber, and are hard to get rid of. They then affect whales similarly to humans by disrupting hormones, poisoning the liver, and causing neurological damage.
Here in Santa Barbara, we have a huge responsibility, knowing that every chemical we spray on our lawns and every bit of oil that drips from our cars eventually washes out to sea with a heavy rain.
Indirectly, the fossil fuels we burn emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Many of these gases are absorbed by the ocean which acts as a buffer for the planet. The ocean also absorbs heat from our warming planet, significantly reducing our perception of climate change.
However, as the oceans warms and acidifies, storms strengthen and currents change over time. Some species begin to move to more suitable habitats as the ocean shifts, and others begin declining.
The marine food web is heavily interconnected and changes cascade through the entire ecosystem. As these ecological shifts take place in the long term, whales have to adapt to their changing environment or they won’t survive.
Here, in Santa Barbara, we are already noticing shifts in whale species abundance during certain times of the year, and some species that were once abundant locally are now extremely rare to spot. Others are seen more often or at different times of the year.
Noise Pollution and Whales
Everyone on land seems to forget that humans are just as loud under the ocean as we are above it. If anything, we are even louder because sound travels four times faster underwater. Additionally, whales are accustomed to listening to far away sounds. Their lowest frequency calls are estimated to be able to travel 10,000 miles. Whales can literally communicate across oceans.
With about 50,000 ships crossing the ocean at any time, not to mention the drilling and military exercises, you can start to catch a glimpse of the impact we have on the marine environment. Unlike a radio, they can’t just turn it off.
Mass casualty strandings of whales have been documented as a result of military sonar exercises. Some of these noises even overlap with whales’ communication frequencies. There is evidence that some whale species have lowered their communication frequency over time to try to be heard through the constant barrage of human noise.
What Can I Do to See the Most Whales?
The best way to see the most whales is by helping the populations recover! Even though the issues plaguing whales are complex, many of the the answers are actually really simple!
Your interest and love for whales means you’ve already taken the first step. Here are some easy ways we can all help protect these magnificent giants.
These simple changes can help ensure the safety of whales so that we can go whale watching in Santa Barbara for generations to come.
- Reject unsustainable fishing practices by avoiding fish on the Greenpeace Red List, found here. Fish on this list have been fished in a way that harms the environment. Instead, support local fisheries that adhere to more sustainable practices.
- Reduce your plastic impact by using reusable utensils, water bottles, and food containers. The five seconds of use isn’t worth the fossil fuels burned to create and ship the product plus the hundreds of years in various whale stomachs. You’ll also save money over time!
- Share how cool whales are! Many people go their whole life without seeing the ocean. Post whale watch photos and share the things you’ve learned! It’s hard to care about something if you know nothing about it.
- Support local initiatives like the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area, which promotes healthy coexistence between humans and whales through sustainable practices and prioritizing protections for whales.
More to Explore near Santa Barbara
Your adventure doesn’t have to stop here! Looking to explore Channel Islands National Park? Not only can you see whales, but you can also hike around on an island, kayak through massive sea caves, find some of the 150+ endemic species that call the island home, and even camp overnight! A good place to start is by visiting Santa Cruz Island! Click on a guide below to plan the perfect trip for YOU!
Looking for a different adventure? Check out some of my favorites in the posts below!
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