Olivia | M/V Kestrel | September 20th, 2020 | 10:00
Heading off into the foggy water opened our morning adventure to one big adventure. We traveled north into the cool morning, and shortly after crossing through President’s Channel, the sky appeared and the fog settled, bringing in the glorious morning sun. It was one of the first mornings in a while where we could see the surrounding islands since we have had so much smoke from the wildfires. All of this contributed to high spirits enjoying the beginning of the day.
We received word through the Pacific Whale Watch Association of Killer Whale rumors north of Sucia Island. Therefore, we continued our northern trend to investigate. Upon arrival, we saw Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out as tightly as they could on the small reef; an attempt to not be in the water with their biggest predators. Close to the shoreline we saw one large dorsal fin followed by three smaller ones. We knew almost instantly before getting photo confirmation that we had the T123’s in our vicinity.
We were able to hang out with the Bigg’s Killer Whales for a while by ourselves being one of the first boats out on the water for the day, adding to the serenity of the morning. The littlest whale, Darcy, spy hopped a few times for us, adding an adorable twist to the family moment. We eventually peeled off and went to catch a better look at the world’s largest sea lions, as well as finding Harbor Seals hauled out on some island coastlines. Additionally, we came across Harbor Porpoise swimming in the sunshine as we headed back towards Friday Harbor. What a fin-tastic start to our day!