We pushed off from the dock today with a full boat, feeling chilly but hopeful. It wasn’t long before we got reports of humpbacks in Active Pass within the Southern Gulf Islands in Canada, so we headed north out of Friday Harbor hoping to get a look.
On our way out of San Juan Channel, we got some quick looks at some harbor seals and an adult bald eagle before we crossed into Canadian waters and heard some more good news – the pair of humpbacks we were approaching were Big Mama and her new calf!
Humpback whales are just starting to make a comeback in the San Juan Islands since 1986 when whaling was banned worldwide during the International Whaling Convention. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that humpbacks returned to the Salish Sea to feed in the summer. In 2011 they were spotted for the first time north of Victoria. Big Mama was one of the first humpbacks to return to the Salish Sea, and this year she thrilled us all when she brought back a brand new calf!
We got our first looks at Big Mama just south of East Point on Saturna and watched them as they traveled South. We left them with a beautiful fluke-out (when a whale lifts its tail above the surface, signaling for a deep dive), leaving them just off of Skipjack Island.
On our route back through John’s Pass and behind Spieden Island to grab another look at harbor seals, mouflon sheep, and both an adult and a juvenile bald eagle. We pulled into Friday Harbor with the sun finally peeking through.