July 22nd, 2022
Abby Dahl
2pm M/V Kestrel
Captain Eric and I started our tour with plumose anemones and sea slugs; critters that call the underside of the docks and pilings their home. It’s one of my favorite things to do with guests, to work our way up the trophic scale by starting with the tiniest, most beautiful organisms first. If you can start with the smallest organisms on a tour, you create a keen eye onboard and can bring back the childhood sense of wonder to always seek out the small things along the journey.
We had a bright, energetic, friendly bunch on our tour. Having the excitement of these folks is the reason I do my job. It was as if everyone on the tour had already been friends for years. As a naturalist, that is the best feeling to have as you start your journey.
We cruised southbound through San Juan Channel with light wind and warm sun rays beaming down on the bow of our vessel. We stopped to watch harbor seals and their pups on the rocky shoreline and ride the wake of larger vessels, making for a thrilling adventure. At one point, a guest raised her arm in the air as if she were riding a bull, confirmation that I wasn’t the only one enjoying the wake riding!
We continued southbound into the Strait of Juan De Fuca in search of some Biggs killer whales who had been spotted that morning. We rode the open water, looking at the Olympic Mountains, Vancouver Island, and Whidbey Island which surrounded us at a great distance. Finally, we saw blows in the distance of a family identified as the T037A matriline:
- T037A “Volker” (Female, born 1994)
- T037A1 “Inyo” (unknown gender, born 2007)
- T037A2 “Inky” (unknown gender, born 2009)
- T037A3 “Spinnaker” (unknown gender, born 2013)
- T037A4 “Crinkle” (unknown gender, born 2015)
There was breaching, hunting, spy hopping, tail slapping, you name it. We had everything in this experience, which is a rarity among Biggs killer whales. We hung out with them for quite sometime taking in the full experience, talking about conservation and the life histories of these animals. I had an interactive, inquisitive bunch which made for a fun viewing experience. We were all wowed at the behavior we were seeing, and I am positive I even squealed in sheer joy at one point.
When we were about to leave the scene, we had a beautiful goodbye where we shut off the engines and just let the whales cruise by as we listened to their every breath. What a way to depart the scene.
On our way back to Friday Harbor, Captain Eric was so sweet in taking us to Smith Island so I could see my very first tufted puffins! “We are in the puffin zone,” he said. I was thrilled to share that experience with my guests. It’s not often anymore that I see something completely new with the guests on board.
Even for traveling as far as we did, I felt that we had a well-rounded tour with frequent stops to see both old and new wildlife from my perspective. Thanks to the guests and our captain, even I was beaming at the end of the day, thankful more than ever to have this career path.