The Santa Barbara Channel is one of the most remarkable places in the world to see whales in their natural environment.
The world apparently agrees. It recently was announced that Santa Barbara has been declared a Whale Heritage Site.
Yep, it’s a Big Deal … There are only nine in the world, and Santa Barbara is the second in the United States to earn the designation.
The whole process of applying for and receiving the designation was a multiyear endeavor, spearheaded by a great team: Jean-Michel Cousteau, founder, president and board chairman of the Ocean Futures Society, and the son of renowned ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau; Hiroko Benko, owner and commodore of the Condor Express whale watching excursions; Greg Gorga, executive director of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum; and Holly Lohuis, a marine biologist and educator with the Ocean Futures Society.
However, there is one man who was the inspiration and the catalyst for it all: Fred Benko, the Whale Whisperer.
Renaissance Man
Capt. Fred Benko — who died in 2013 at age 73 — was a beloved waterfront personality and the biggest public proponent for everything to do with sea life in the channel as the founder and builder of SEA Landing at the Santa Barbara Harbor and originator of whale watching on the California coast.
Benko was a man’s man. He embodied the great outdoors: 6-foot-4 and built like a lumberjack, he looked like the Marlboro Man (without the nicotine).
But first, a little on his surprising background:
Growing up in Ohio, Benko was first involved on the “high C’s” rather than the high seas.
Not only a smart student, the youngster was gifted with a superb singing voice. He sang in a boys choir from the time he was 8 until 14, when he transposed from soprano to bass.
Later as a Marine, Benko picked up a guitar and ukulele and, with two friends, formed a band called The Beachers Three.
Fueled by beers and tips, they crooned in bars and night spots along the Chesapeake Bay.
In the early 1960s, he launched his professional career, traveling the United States and Europe as a folk singer.
He performed in such well-known national venues as The Purple Onion, the Bitter End and the Cellar Door.
Years later, he was tapped for leading roles for local musical theater companies, for shows such as The Sound of Music, H.M.S. Pinafore and The King and I.
California
Benko moved to California to become a district manager for Pfizer Labs, but after soaking in the sunshine and ocean breeze, he felt his calling had morphed from medicine to marine life, and subsequently moved from pharmaceuticals to fishing.
Launched entirely on his own enthusiasm and interests, Benko opened SEA Landing (Sportfishing Expedition Adventures) in 1973 as a charter service offering sport fishing, diving, harbor cruises and even limited whale watching, when they were in the area. (At this time, the endangered Pacific gray whale had a limited population.)
Benko was a student of the sea and was utterly fasciated by everything in it. And once he soaked up some particular aspect of marine life, he was eager to share it with others.
Because he excelled at salmon fishing, he turned around and successfully taught others how to fish for salmon.
Around the harbor, Benko was considered an innovator, known for developing the art of shallow water rock-fishing.
Return of the Whales
This all changed around 1985 when the Navy stopped its sonar testing. Captain Fred could not help noticing something stunning was happening: the great pods of whales that used to migrate through the Santa Barbara Channel had returned! And their numbers were increasing.
Benko was fascinated by these magnificent creatures of the deep, and sought to know them further.
He would never chase after the whales, but brought his boat, the Condor, out into the channel. There, he would carefully observe the whales and their patterns of migration: viewing blue whales and humpback whales in summer, and grays in winter.
“I’m no scientist,” Benko once said, ”but I’m a great observer — a voyeur.”
He was careful not to approach the whales too hastily.
“I just know these whales talk to each other,” he said at the time. “If we are too aggressive with this first one, then we might not see any others.”
Sentient beings, the whales recognized the Condor was not chasing after them, and therefore they were not about to become prey.
Benko’s strategy was to remain at some distance, idle, and hope that the whales would come in for a closer look at his boat, which is exactly what they began to do.
He became so familiar with the whales and their habits, that he decided to sell SEA Landing, quit sport fishing, and launch the first year-round whale watching operation in California — here in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Now, certainly this was not the first time that people in California went out to see the whales. But prior to Benko, it was a hit or miss.
If a pod of whales was coming through an area, people would get on a boat to try to find them. Or they were on shore atop promontories that provided a possible viewing during migration.
So, whale watching in California was episodic events, not year-round programming.
The significant difference was that Benko knew the whales: he knew their routine, he knew their routes, and so he knew when to schedule the cruises and where to go.
And while it might have seemed like a foolhardy gamble to try to launch a full-time whale watching excursion, Benko was so attuned to the patterns of the whales, he could guarantee people would get a sighting of these magnificent mammals.
And on the rare occasion when passengers did not see the whales, he would give them a raincheck to return.
Furthermore, Benko could run his whale watching year-round.
And the whales knew Benko. They knew his boat and that it was safe to approach.
Education
Enthusiastic about showing and educating children about channel marine mammals, Benko provided special classes and field trips for fifth-grade students through the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Los Marineros project.
Benko’s boat is utilized by most local schools, such as the UC Santa Barbara Marine Science Institute and K-12 schools in the area. Aboard they will learn marine science on a floating classroom, including diver uplinks, which can be viewed from the TV screen inside the boat.
The Santa Barbara Channel is home to more than 30 species of whales, dolphins, seals, sea otters, sea birds and sea lions that visit throughout the year.
It is one of the most consistent locations found anywhere to see blue, gray and humpback whales along with orcas — which actually are part of the dolphin family and not “killer whales.”
Santa Barbara whale watching is unsurpassed anywhere else on the globe.
Benko lectured to children and others about the dolphins, whales, porpoises, sea lions and sharks, how they fight, play, mate and other rituals.
Actually, “lectured” is probably not the right word.
Benko would simply point out to his audiences the amazing aspects of various marine life. Bringing his acting skills to the fore, he made a wonderful story-teller who fascinated his listeners.
“Did you know that a whale’s heart is bigger than a Volkswagen?”
“How big do you think that whale’s tongue is? Do you think it could be bigger than a cow? How many think it could be bigger than a horse? Well I am going to let you all in on a little secret: that whale’s tongue is bigger than an elephant!”
Whale Corps
Captain Fred thought about ways to bring more of the whale’s story to his passengers. So he teamed up with the Natural History Museum to fund and launch his “Whale Corps” concept.
This was an innovative program to teach and train volunteer naturalists who would then assist as guides in education on the Condor Express.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration became involved, so these naturalists could assist on other boats as well.
The first Whale Corps training booklet was put together with the expertise of Chuck Woodhouse, curator of vertebrate zoology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and Gary Robinson from the Sea Center.
The program was launched in December 1995. It was three months of training and, after graduation, the new naturalists would serve to educate passengers on the Condor as well as other whale-watching boats.
Benko’s Whale Corps has grown to an army of 150 community members who provide education, and his team received a national award for the best federal volunteer program.
The Condor Express
At the turn of the millennium, Benko had a dream to build a boat with no propellers. It would provide a smooth, fast ride — but more important: no sea animals would get hurt.
But where would he build it? As many know, the Santa Barbara Channel gets very windy, so Benko searched the world to find a place with the same choppy sea condition as here.
He found it. In New Zealand.
Benko went there to hire the architect who could engineer the hull and create a quad-jet-powered catamaran with a foil-assisted design.
The 75-foot, twin-hulled, four-jet engine, 740-horsepower catamaran was built in the Fairhaven Shipyard in Bellingham, Washington, and christened Condor Express.
It is the only boat of its kind in California.
The vessel is a fast (cruising at 30 knots), safe boat for both passengers and sea life, designed specifically for whale watching in our local waters.
The Condor Express is the most advanced and innovative whale-watching platform in California.
Over time, the whales recognized the Condor Express by the sound of its engine, and that it is safe to approach. As a result, the whales are relaxed and playfully cavort around the boat.
When whales appear 200 yards off, the Condor Express will not pursue them directly, but will approach from the side to avoid sudden turns and minimize noise that might scare the sea creatures away.
Benko would point out to his passengers that, after the mammals “showed off” in the water to the cheers of those aboard, they would bob up in the water as though coming out for a bow in happy recognition of the applause.
To this day, the whales typically will spend 40 to 60 minutes “hanging around” the Condor Express. They will put their noses up to the side of the boat, sometimes diving under it and bumping it slightly, just for fun.
True story: A few years ago, a whale and her calf swam up to the Condor Express. They circled around and around the boat for 10 to 15 minutes, with no remarkable activity — more like the mother was taking her child out for a walk (or swim!).
Then the mother took off — but without her calf, surprisingly. The baby stayed behind near the boat, circling around peacefully.
Forty minutes later, the mother returned, swam around the boat with the calf for several minutes and then they both left.
The crew surmised that the mother went off to do some fishing, admonished the calf to stay close to the boat and … left the babysitting to the Condor Express.
Finned Friends of Captain Fred
Blue Whales
Who would have thought it? The largest collection of blue whales in the world is found around the Santa Barbara Channel!
As earth’s largest creatures, these mammoth mammals grow up to 100 feet long, weighing in at 170 tons.
“They are about the length — and sometimes longer than our entire boat!” Benko would say.
And by way of comparison, a blue whale weighs more than the entire 2,100-student body of Santa Barbara High School.
Despite their enormous size, blue whales are very graceful creatures, and swim quickly through our local channel from midsummer through early fall.
Blue whales surface and spout through their blow holes, providing a dramatic water show.
Gray Whales
The California gray whale measures up to 40 feet in length, weighing as much as 36 tons, with a life span somewhat similar to humans: 55 to 70 years.
Their skin is mottled, gray and scarred looking, as much of their body is covered with barnacles and whale lice.
The gray whale has a tremendous migration route traveling from Baja Mexico for breeding to Alaska for feeding.
Gray whales may emerge and dive in and then provide a majestic “fluke” — the whale equivalent of twerking.
Humpback Whales
Humpback whales are the acrobats that love to show off by jumping out of the water and slapping their fins and tails to delight Condor Express passengers.
The strongest part of their body is muscle running along the back, so these multiton mammals can appear to be flying completely out of the water.
Benko would explain, “Don’t let their strength and power fool you — they are docile and curious creatures.”
Recognition
Benko’s protection, preserving and promotion of the whales and sea life in the Santa Barbara Channel didn’t go unnoticed.
He was declared a National Environmental Hero in 1993, recognized as a Whale Hero by the American Cetacean Society in 2006, named a local hero by the Santa Barbara Independent in 1995, and was honored by the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary with its Stewardship Award in 2005.
• • •
One particular blue whale that always had Benko’s attention was one he had been following in the Santa Barbara Channel for many years and had even sighted off Baja California.
It had a distinctive look — with an almost white dorsal fin and small dark scars from orca attacks.
The whale was identified by Mexican researchers as “BB#229” and “CICI#590.” American scientists refer to it in equally nonmemorable terminology as “1139.”
But in 2013, marine mammal scientists from Cascadia Research Collective named this colossal cetacean “Fred Benko” in honor of the man who put whales on the world map in our Santa Barbara Channel.