[7/12/17- M/V Kestrel- 2:00PM]
Wednesday’s are hump days, and hump days are meant for humpback whales! It was another beautiful day with sunny skies as we moseyed outside of Friday Harbor from San Juan Island and headed north to Canadian waters. We cruised over the calm waters with no problems at all, simply enjoying the scenery and the windless skies. We slowed down and approached a small little outcrop of rocks by the East Point lighthouse on Saturna Island, and we saw a plethora of harbor seals sunning themselves in the pleasant afternoon sun. Pupping season for harbor seals takes place just about now, so we could even see some small wigglers hangin’ out with mom.
We left the seals and headed to Patos Island to get some stunning pictures of the beautiful Patos Island lighthouse, and just as we left, we were on scene with a humpback whale! This whale was quick to surface, breathe, and simply dive deep again, but once in a while we could catch it surfacing to breathe again more than once. It was consistent with heading north, and from time to time it surfaced close enough to us that we could see its two nostrils as it exhaled! It seemed to be a quiet whale, until it got a wild hair and randomly surfaced and did a dramatic cartwheel and tail spin out of the water, just throwing its tail across the sky and splashing down. It continued to throw its tail around and splash for a few more times, but it soon quieted down and continued on its way as if nothing happened. What a weird whale.
After we eventually left the humpback, we headed home and made a quick stop by Flattop Island to look at a beautiful adult bald eagle perched in a tree and some more rotund harbor seals hauled out on rocks. We made it back to Friday Harbor with nothing but smiles- it was another amazing day out on the water!