Olivia | July 25th, 2019 | M/V Kestrel | 3:00pm
Captain Pete and I headed out this afternoon on a search for whales in our area. We decided to head north through the San Juan Channel and stop at White Rocks to catch a view of our Harbor Porpoises and their pups as they napped and swam near the water’s edge. After chatting about these small Pinnipeds, we continued on through Boundary Pass heading around East Point towards the northern side of Saturna Island.
Along our route, Mount Baker (a volcano) provided us with gorgeous backdrops of our island and mountainous surroundings and allowed for jaw dropping photographs. We spotted a Humpback Whale just north of Active Pass, averaging about six minute dive times. The consistency of the dive times of our Humpback Whales allowed us to chat and learn all about them while they are feeding, and take in the gleaming, triumphant moments of their surfacing, all leading up to that captivating tail fluke as they search for small prey.
This individual was gleaming within the incredibly calm seas; I couldn’t believe how perfect this moment was. With our far range, we had to eventually start moving back towards Friday Harbor taking in one last look at the wide, dark fluke. We stopped at Flattop on our path home to catch a glimpse as some Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures scavenged on a carcass near the shoreline.
It’s not every day we get to appreciate a lake like condition of the Strait of Georgia, a graceful Humpback fluking often, and Mount Baker standing tall behind it all. This beautiful moment took our breathes away. Not only that, but Humpback Whales returning to our seas is still a success story in its own. Come learn more about these ocean giants on one of our daily Whale Watching trips before they start their long migration back to the Hawaiian Islands!