Sarah | 09/27/2018 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00am Charter
We had a marvelous morning out on the water with a private charter. We love getting private groups out on the boats because we can tailor the trip to exactly what the group wants! On Thursday that meant whales!
Captain Gabe and I loaded up our guests and headed left out of Friday Harbor, pointing north for Canadian waters. M/V Kestrel is an amazing tool for whale watching, because no matter where we have reports of whales, we can make it! The boat is fast and stable, making it a favorite for our guests. As we reached Spieden Island to check out the variety of wildlife in the water and on its steep slopes, Captain Gabe got a report of orcas from South of Victoria, near Constance Bank. We decided to point that direction!
As we rounded the bottom of Vancouver Island and passed the city of Victoria we found a solitary humpback whale. The massive animal was feeding and travelling slowly west. It would come up to the surface for several slow breaths before diving below the water, lifting its massive flukes above the surface. Looking at the pattern underneath the animal’s tail we were able to identify the individual as BCXUnknown or CRC-15994 “Stitch”.
We left the humpback whale and continued west, and we found a huge group of Bigg’s killer whales. This ecotype of orca is known for eating marine mammals. In our waters they are usually eating harbor seals and harbor porpoise. WE watched that large group socializing and surfacing as they travelled east in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
On the way back towards Friday Harbor we stopped to check out some Steller’s sea lions and harbor seals hauled out on rocks. Overall, it was an amazing day on the water.
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