Olivia | May 28th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm
Today started off beautifully for Captain Gabe and me. It was such a small group of people that all decided they wanted to sit at the bow together, which allowed us to chat and hang out as our own family group. We started our route traveling past Waldron Island through Presidents Channel and saw Harbor Porpoises! This was very exciting since this is a wee bit of a hot spot for them in the shallow waters where there is an influx in their prey with the currents. Harbor Porpoises are very shy, solitary animals that we usually see in shoals of 5 or less. Today we saw four in total!
As the sun started to sneak out behind the clouds, we ventured over to Boiling Reef where we were able to watch many Steller’s Sea Lions lounge about. This was extra exciting considering they are getting ready to migrate back to Alaska and breed with the females who will be giving birth about 10 days prior. Listening to the deep bellows move across the water continues to be one of my favorite things.
Not far from East Point underneath Monarch Head we were able to watch not one, but two Humpback Whales! This was a big hit, especially for the folks from France. Seeing Humpbacks was a completely new experience for everyone on our tour today, which is always extra special. We hung around with them for a while watching and listening as they would come up for air after their five-minute dives. One of the nice things about watching Humpbacks, is that you can very accurately time their dives which makes talking in between easy. Most of these Humpback Whales are migrating back from Maui to their feeding grounds in the lush Salish Sea where they consume up to 3,000 pounds of food a day. We believe these two individuals were Heather and Raptor who are often seen traveling together.
On route back we went through John’s Pass and saw Harbor Seals thermoregulating in the water and many bald eagles soaring and roosting above Spieden Island. Being outside witnessing this huge diversity within our waters never ceases to amaze both the crew and passengers. Come visit and learn more from our Naturalists about our world, wildlife, research, and local conservation/sustainability efforts. Until then, stay Whaley awesome!