Elle | M/V Osprey | June 30, 2022 |12:30PM
Today we took a long trip up into Canada. After leaving Friday Harbor, we passed Speiden Island where we slowed down to look at its baren southern side, weathered by southerly winds. In the tops of the trees and soaring above us, we saw four bald eagles, likely two mating pairs, prompting us to start a bald eagle tally for our trip. As we neared the northern end of Speiden Island we passed a haul out of harbor seals resting in the sun. Our captain, Gabe pointed out to us that where we were, just a few yards off the coast of Speiden was 270 ft deep, highlighting the varied underwater topography and quick depth changes of our area. Then we continued northwest, across the Haro Strait and into Swanson Channel where we came across two brother orca whales, T128 and T125A, Flotsam and Jetsam, who were quickly identified by the deep notch in Jetsam’s nearly 6-foot-tall dorsal fin and the lack of a matriarch. Orcas typically travel with their mother or grandmother in groups called matrilines, but these brothers have broken tradition and gone off on their own to explore. We cruised alongside Salt Spring Island, admiring the beautiful animals, and even cutting our engines to hear their powerful exhalations. We, as well as some campers on shore at Salt Spring Island, got some great looks at these two brothers. They are also known as the “Alaska Boys” because they are most often spotted in Alaska, so we were lucky to see them here in the Salish Sea for the second day in a row! After our time with the boys, we headed back to Friday Harbor, ending with a bald eagle tally of 7 for the day!