Lauren | M/V Osprey | 8/13/2022 | 12:30 PM
What an epic day! Dare I call it the trip of the summer? Today our 12:30 Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour had one of those unforgettable moments... a key memory if you will?
With no firm whale reports in the area, we had no idea what was in store for us when leaving the dock. Shortly after cruising out of Friday Harbor, we got word that there were some rumored killer whales in Rosario Strait. I say rumored because we were working off a shore report, and no boats were on scene with these whales. With the Salish Sea being home to 172 named islands, and with 743 island formations appearing at low tide, there are endless channels and passages for these whales to weave through. Keeping track of these fast-moving creatures isn’t always an easy feat.
So off to Rosario we went, with our fingers crossed a boat closer to the east side of Lopez Island would find these whales before they slipped between our finger tips. We cruised interisland through Shaw and Lopez, eventually making our way between Blakely and Decatur. Fun Fact: This is the same route the Washington State Ferry takes to Anacortes. Once in Rosario we got word that another vessel had found those killer whales. After a sigh of relief, we stopped at Bird Rocks to view some hauled our harbor seals.
As we cruised south down the strait, we were met with the most pleasant surprise. Captain Gabe and Lead Naturalist Olivia spotted an unreported humpback whale! We got fantastic looks at this humpback as we puttered next to it, witnessing several close surfacing's. We stayed with this whale until another boat could get on scene with it. We work cohesively with other members of the Pacific Whale Association so everyone can enjoy the magic of the Salish Sea! After passing along this humpback we headed towards those Bigg’s killer whales.
We were lucky enough to be in the presence of whales from two Bigg’s killer whale matrilines. These families are known as the T065A’s and the T077’s. Most often when we encounter this marine mammal eating ecotype, the whales are only traveling with their immediate family units. To see two groups socializing together is a treat in itself. Once on scene we were greeted by these orcas surfacing in close proximity to one another. One dorsal fin after the other. It seemed as if they were resting, but we quickly found out that wasn’t the case. I believe they looked sleepy because they were actually in stealth mode... trying to stay quiet before an attack. Suddenly we saw one whale quickly change direction and another porpoise out of the water (this is typical of hunting behavior). After a few splashes it was once again quiet.
That silence was broken by a breaching killer whale! Suddenly it was tail lobs galore. Tail lobbing is a term for when a whale smacks its fluke or tail against the surface of the water. As the whales quickly moved along our starboard side, they started to curve towards the front of the boat. We cut the engine as they got closer, so close you could hear the “koosh” of their exhalations. Before we knew it these killer whales were right at our bow breaching, one after the other. We had front row seats to a total of four apex predator breaches!
Although I never saw the prey with my own eyes, based on the behavior displayed it seems these whales successfully hunted a harbor seal and were celebrating their accomplishment. What a phenomenal day on the water!