Laura C./ 6-29-2019/ M/V Sea Lion / 1:30pm
Today was an outstanding day out on the water! Our vessel Sea Lion traveled far north towards Point Roberts! We were so excited to see a large family of Bigg’s killer whales demonstrating an abundance of surface activity!! As our vessel approached the scene passengers stared in delight watching full breaches and tail breaches from a spirited calf! There were also adults joining in on the fun! A large male performed a full body breach, creating quite a tremendous splash! It was amazing to see such a large mammal emerge fully out of the water and we were able to appreciate how large this 30 ft mammal really is, amounting to 12,000lbs! As if in response to this exciting display, two others followed quickly behind in full body breaches! It is quite rare and such an exceptional experience to witness a double breach! Not only does it show their impressive acrobatic capabilities but also the intelligence level behind coordinating synchronized breaches flawlessly. There was so excitement aboard our vessel as passengers realized what a magical event this truly is!
The whales continued flaunting their skills on the waters surface, comprised of head and tail breaches and spyhops. For a while the calf enjoyed turning upside down at the surface and waving his/her fluke high in the air for all to see! This was clearly a joyous celebration and as there was so much going on around us it was hard to take roll call of who was around. Other vessels in the area previously identified this large group of 10-12 whales as the T46s. T46 is a female estimated to have been born in 1964 and since then has produced quite the family tree, totaling around 14 individuals in all! The whales may have been celebrating their reunion as they all came together to enjoy the happy company. Today was an exquisite day out on the water and personally the most active family thus far!