Jordan | M/V Kestrel | 07/27/19 | 11:00am
The sun shone brightly overhead as Captain Gabe and I took the Kestrel out of Friday Harbor. Upon speaking with other captains, we headed north towards Canadian waters.
We sped up north through the San Juan Channel and up around Speiden Island. Here we found a huge bald eagle! He perched in the tree balanced precariously among the branches. He surveyed the water for any fish to feed on or any birds to steal food from.
We also stopped by some rocks and found some harbor seals! These cute rock sausages flopped around the tiny land mass as they tried not to fall in the water. They were surrounded by a bull kelp forest which provides a little bit of extra protection against their predators.
We boated further north across Boundary Pass and into Canada. Here we voyaged into this beautiful area called Georgeson Pass. We slowed the boat and let people fully absorb the beauty.
Eventually we emerged into the Strait of Georgia and joined a few other whale watching boats. Here we found a humpback whale! So cool! This enormous whale broke through the water, exposing its shiny black back as it exhaled. The blow itself could be heard from far away as it blew at 200 miles per hour. Such a powerful animal just a few yards from our boat!
We enjoyed watching this whale take shallow dives as it moseyed its way across the water. Potentially he was sleeping! Humpbacks are able to swim and dive and breathe all while they’re asleep! They turn off half of their brains and keep the other half on!
What a beautiful sighting! It’s always a pleasure to see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat.
Eventually we headed back to the harbor and enjoyed the rest of the sunny day.