As anticipated, February brought some weather with it, and many cancellations were made along with a few trips with no sightings. We ended this month going 2 for 4 on Killer Whale Watching success, which is of course a 50% success rate. This was significantly lower than our running average for the '24/'25 season which was at 83% at the end of January.
Both of our sightings of Killer Whales on 2/22 and 2/23 involved the same group of 8 Killer Whales, including "Frosty" which was very special. Our encounter on 2/23 involved the pod making several predations of sea lions. Here's a few of my photos from that encounter:
Last year our Feb sightings went 4 for 5 on the month, or 80%. February is certainly a great month for Killer Whales in the Channel Islands, but we need the weather to be excellent in order to capitalize. Each year brings different weather patterns, and since most of our trips are scheduled on the weekends we are also at the mercy of whatever weather happens to fall on those limited days per month.
There were several instances in Feb 2025 where orcas were sighted in the Santa Barbara Channel, but we had cancelled our trips because of poor weather forecasts and so we did not get to see them. Ultimately, we are going to make our decisions based on logic and with discipline, knowing that "hope and luck" are not long term strategies for putting together the success we are known for. The 24'/25' season stats currently stand at 33 Killer Whale Quests operated, with 26 of those successful for a 79% success rate.
Looking ahead to March... every year is different but March 2024 was so unfavorable for weather that we didn't run a single trip. However, I want to stress that this time of year the Channel Islands are almost certainly swarming with Killer Whales, so any weather window that we do have to get out does have a high chance of success. Hopefully our March 2025 weather pattern will allow for opportunities. April and May will continue to hold high chances for success, and we will have a shift in the wind with more south winds that will allow outer island access and calmer waters.
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