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Captian Anthony Lombardi

Wednesday, 04 March 2009

Hi! My name is Anthony Lombardi and I am a Captain with Island Packers. I first started my love of the water while as a competetive swimmer and have always enjoyed being around and in the water but it was tough growing up in the Midwest always thinking about the ocean. A little over 10 years ago I joined the Coast Guard, became stationed in Santa Barbara where we patrolled the pristine waters of the Santa Barbara Channel. It wasn't until after getting out of the Coast Guard that I realized what an amazing place this was for my love of the ocean and its inhabitants. That decision to join the Coast Guard put me onto the ocean for the first time and I have not been off the water since.

When did you first fall in love with the ocean?

I first fell in love with the ocean, when I was a young kid. I was only able to watch T.V. shows on PBS that were full of ocean themes. I remember watching Cousteau and all the amazing underwater images and wished that I could be there. There were many days in the winter time when I was stuck inside due to the cold weather, and I would read or watch these amazing documentaries on these marine environments. This was all there was for me to do in the Midwest. I can remember my sister adopting a whale for me for a birthday, and when I got the certificate with the whales story and the image of its tailfluke, I felt I had this relationship with this animal I had never seen. That moment was really a turning point in my drive to get near the ocean.

How did you know that whales, of all the creatures in the sea, were your passion?

The moment I knew whales would be my passion was when my sister adopted that whale for me, and from then on I felt a connection to these animals. I had never seen a whale in real life until I moved here to Santa Barbara and got my first job on a whale watching boat, the first whale that I saw was a gray whale migrating north. Now after spending so much time with these animals, I really feel the connection.

How many whales do you think you've seen in your life time?

The amount of whales that I have seen is uncountable, I think that I have seen well over a couple hundred whales so far, and the numbers are still rising each day. Each sighting is still amazing in its own ways. I enjoy each sighting that I see like it is my first, it is just amazing to see these animals in their environment.

When did you first pick up a camera and how did that lead you to taking such amazing pictures of whales and dolphins?

I picked up my first camera in the 1990's and started shooting mostly landscape pictures. Being in the midwest I didn't have the opportunity to shoot images of the dolphins and whales. I had the chance to finally take pictures of whales and dolphins and all the other marine life when I got the job working on the whale watching boat. Being on the water everyday really gave me the chances to take pictures of these animals, but as everyone knows it is really tough to get good shots of these animals. The job and being around these animals everday and learning their behaviors and reactions around the boats, helped me in learning how to take great pictures of these animals.

What kinds of whales do we see here, in and around the channel islands, and at what times of the year do you see them?

We see many different species of whales in the Santa Barbara Channel from Humpback and Blue Whales in the summer months, here to feed in the rich waters to Gray Whales in the fall migrating through. There are also Minke Whales that live here and Fin Whales that sometimes show themselves in the channel as well to the rarely seen Sperm Whales out past the Channel Islands.

What words of encouragement would you give to anyone who has a passion or a dream?

I would say for anyone chasing after their dream, to keep a positive outlook on everything and to stay determined with your goal. The best way is to surround yourself with positive people that work in the same industry or lifestyle that you desire and to ask as many questions as possible and by all means do your research and soak everything up. Lastly I would say that everything is attainable.