About Condor Express
Condor Express runs Santa Barbara's best known whale watching operation from the Sea Landing dock on West Cabrillo Boulevard, at the foot of the harbor. The company has worked this stretch of the Santa Barbara Channel for more than 35 years, and the current vessel is a 75-foot quad-jet catamaran built for the crossing to the islands and back inside a day.
Trips run year round. Gray whales pass close to shore through the winter and spring migration, and humpback and blue whales feed in the channel through summer and fall, alongside common dolphin pods that regularly run several thousand strong. The boat carries up to 127 guests with cabin seating for 68, a full galley and bar, sundeck and restrooms, and the company backs its schedule with a whale sighting guarantee. Private charters cover weddings, corporate groups, sunset sailings and themed cruises including the harbor Parade of Lights.
The catamaran hull is the reason regulars book it. Twin wave-piercing hulls cut the roll that makes a channel crossing miserable on a monohull, and speeds over 28 knots mean less time in transit and more time alongside the animals. Naturalists from the Condor Express also log sightings that feed into local marine research, so the running commentary on board comes from people who track these populations week to week.
