This week on San Juan Island, it's been warm. We don't usually get weather in the 80's out here! Of course, it didn't last for too long. The weather decided to change on us for our whale watch yesterday afternoon. It was breezy, chilly, and the temperature was hanging out right around the 60's, but that only makes the adventure more exciting! Our exposure suits were the perfect barrier between us and the wind, and we stayed dry and toasty warm from the moment we pulled out of Friday Harbor to the moment we returned.
Hearing about lumpy sea conditions down south, we veered north to check out reports of a humpback whale near Waldron Island in President's Channel. Sure enough, we were able to find this massive mammal cruising slowly southwest. It's always amazing to see these whales at the surface, especially since they only spend about 10% of their lives there. The rest of the time, they're busy sub-surface, feeding and traveling. The Salish Sea is a stopover point for some of these whales on thier way north to feed, but many of these whales are turning to head south again - it's almost their mating and calving season! Whale watchers in Hawaii and Mexico will be in for a treat from December through April, but we're lucky enough to catch some views of them as they slip by on their 3,000 mile migration (crazy, right?).
We slowly disengaged from viewing the humpback and continued even further north, because we had some exciting reports of transient killer whales that we hadn't heard about until about 30 minutes after leaving the harbor! We enjoyed a fun ride through Boundary Pass and past East Point on Saturna Island, grateful for our exposure suits and the speed of Kestrel through some small wave chop. We were so excited to find the T65A's and T37's hanging out in the Strait of Georgia, exhibiting some socializing behavior. There could have also been some predation going on, although of course a lot of what we think we're looking at is, of course, speculation. Just like humpbacks, we only get a glimpse into the lives of orcas from what we can see at the surface. Half the fun is wondering what's going on down below!
It was hard to leave these beautiful transients, because they were being so playful and surface active, but we sadly had to head home. Lucky for us, we had a chance to head through Georgesen Pass, an absolutely beautiful stretch of water that winds through some of the Canadian Gulf Islands. The sun was high up in the sky at this point, sparkling on the water and lighting up gorgeous views of the forested shorelines of the islands we were passing by. This was our first time coming through this area this season, so it was extra special! It was our route of choice today because the waters were much calmer here than out in the Strait of Georgia, so we were able to enjoy a smooth ride along with the view.
What an epic whale watch, a perfect example of the diversity of marine life we are able to see out here in the Salish Sea. Humpbacks and orcas in one day!