Jordan | July 10, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 trip
What a great trip we had today! We received reports of whales traveling off of Active Pass up in Canadian waters. So, Captain Pete and I voyaged up through the San Juan Channel, past Boundary Pass, around the west side of Saturna Island and all the way up to Trincomali Channel. It was a long journey but it was definitely worth it when we found the whales!
We found two pods of transient whales, T124As and T36As, traveling together up deeper into Canadian waters. We were watching them swimming gracefully through the water when all of a sudden, they disappeared. Then they surfaced far away, thrashing around at the surface, all pinpointed on one spot. They found a seal! They were very active during their food sharing and then celebrated afterwards with breaches, tail waving and headstands. It was so much fun to watch! And that whole sequence happened again just a few minutes later.
It was incredibly rewarding to see these families working together and making sure everyone was taken care of. Orca whale mothers are especially attentive of her young and, as the matriarch, make sure to lead her pod to great hunting grounds. Killer whale pods are so close knit and will stick together for their entire lives.
It was interesting to see these whales swimming all over the San Juan islands the last couple days. They literally have traveled over 100 miles in just a short amount of time. Because orcas spend about 80% of their lives either looking for food or actually eating food, we have to assume that these orcas have been swimming towards mysterious food sources that we, as mere land dwellers, cannot see underneath the sea.
As the day came to a close and we headed back towards Friday Harbor, we all watched the setting sun with a full appreciation of the spectacular lives of killer whales.