American Cetacean Society
10th International Conference - Whales without Borders
November 10-12, 2006 - Ventura, California

Conference Field Trips

A conference retrospective is in process - the following has been retained for reference.

The pre-conference field trip, Friday November 10th, is an all-day Natural History Excursion aboard the Condor Express. Cost is $90/per person. All interested parties are welcome to sign up; conference registration is not required.

We will board the Condor Express, the area's premier nature excursion vessel in Ventura Harbor and head out into the Southern California Bight in search of whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, birds and other marine life.

The initial plan is to head towards Santa Barbara Island, but we will adjust our itinerary according to recent sightings and reports of cetaceans. The weather conditions are generally decent in November. The Condor Express features a full galley and bar.

This year, there are still large numbers of humpback whales north of us, as well as a good number of blue whales. That means that those whales are still due to pass through our area on their way south. It is not too early to find a migrating gray whale or two and fin whales are regular in the deeper waters of the region.

Several species of dolphin are commonly found, including bottlenose, both short-beaked and long-beaked common, Risso's and Pacific white-sided. Dall's porpoise and minke whales are also a good possibility.

California sea lions are common, as are harbor seals nearshore and elephant seals are a good possibility. And of course we will be on the lookout for rarer species like killer whales.

The Condor Express folks are great and are making it easy for us to get to the boat from the hotel. Unlike the annual Humpback and Blue Whale and chapter trips, we board the Condor Express in Ventura Harbor, not in Santa Barbara. Also unlike the annual trips, you need to have breakfast first, bring it, or purchase it aboard the boat; a continental breakfast is not included.

cancellation policy: unless cancelled by the boat landing, tickets are non-refundable. Please consider your unused ticket a donation to ACS.	about the boat - the m/v Condor Express is a modern, smooth, stable high-speed 75-foot catamaran with large walk-around decks, a huge upper sun-deck, a raised forward bow area, a full galley, and continuous side windows in the large comfortable cabin.
The proceeds of this trip benefit the American Cetacean Society. ACS Whale Adventures P.O. Box 1391, San Pedro, CA 90733-1391 (310) 548-7821