Olivia | May 27th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm
What a gorgeous day in the Salish Sea! We traveled to the farthest edge of our range, making a four- hour trip, in order to find the Bigg’s Killer Whales. On route there, we had the most amazing warm weather, I don’t think we handed out one blanket! We were lucky enough to have many kiddos on the boat, one of which was the designated spotter right at the bow- a future Marine Biologist, he told me! We had a great time spotting the Steller Sea Lions playing in the water by Moresby Island. He already knew about George Wilhelm Steller who first described them in 1741, and the Steller’ Sea Ape he claimed to see. We also had fun spotting Bald Eagles flying around with their white heads, which they do not receive until after sexual maturity around four years of age. Needless to say, this 8-year-old really impressed me; it’s kids like this that give us all hope for the upcoming generation in the science field!
Around this same Captain Pete spotted a Minke Whale! Folks got a real kick out of hearing why they are called “Stinky Minkes” and scanning the water for this small baleen. Since we were pushing the outer edge of our range, we kept on going until we reached Saanich Inlet in British Columbia off Vancouver Island. This is where we found 6 Bigg’s Killer Whales traveling together- T086A, T124A1, and T087. The lone male is estimated to be born in 1962 and had a dorsal fin of over 6 feet tall! I was asked amazing questions about how their regulations vary in the U.S and Canadian waters, and internationally in New Zealand feeding off my previous experience. I appreciated how curious and concerned everyone was about respecting these ocean beauties. Did you know that Bigg’s Killer Whales need to consume up to 200-400 pounds of food per day?
After answering awesome questions, watching the wonder in all 11 kid’s eyes as they experience these large dolphins for the first time, and working on our tans, we headed on back towards Friday Harbor. We, of course, had to stop at Spieden Island to watch the Harbor Seals thermoregulate in the water and snooze on the shoreline. I cannot express how excited I am to start seeing their pups this month! Big thank you to Captain Pete and Naturalist Piper for giving me many laughs today on the boat. Wishing you all a WHALEY happy Memorial Day and big thank you to those who have given their lives to fight for our country.