Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 05/15/2021 1:30pm
We were all really excited to get out on the water as Captain Brian and I gathered our new friends and boated out of Friday Harbor.
We heard whispers of something exciting down south, so we boated down the Channel and out into open waters. Boating out towards the Olympic Peninsula, we reached an area called Middle Bank where we started to see boats! As we approached, we began to see blows and wow it was beautiful!
The mottled gray and white back told us it was a gray whale! It swam and dove and showed us his tail as he searched the water for feeding areas. He was probably hoping to find shallower waters because gray whales hunt at the very bottom of the sea!
Then suddenly he appeared close to the boat! We turned off the engine and watched as we were shown a nice, up close look at his blubbery skin and massive nostrils on top of his head. His breath was explosive. We watched for a while in awe of his body as we tried to spot his white silhouette beneath the surface of the water.
Eventually, we headed towards Lopez Island and toured around the beautiful cliffsides. Here, we spotted bald eagles! We even saw one eagle grab a fish and carry it into the trees to its nest.
The vibrant green and blue waters seemed to glow in the sunlight as we passed picturesque coves and islands. We wound between wildlife refuge islands, flocks of birds and harbor seals! The seals rested peacefully on their sunny rocks as we slowly passed.
Then, we approached this small island with Steller sea lions! The impressive animals lumbered around, splashed in the water, and made hilarious noises as they crawled over each other.
Finally, we headed back home. But, wow, what a lovely day to be out on the water!