Haleigh | M/V Kestrel | July 3, 2022 | 10:00 am
Today’s whale and wildlife excursion aboard M/V Kestrel reaffirmed the title of our Adventure Tour! Guests suited up in the rain and endured the gusts of wind as we traveled north through the San Juan Channel. We made our way to White Rock to scan for wildlife. All along the rocky crevices, pelagic birds like Glaucous-Winged Gulls and Pigeon Guillemots burrowed into a nesting formation. At the water’s edge, Harbor Seals hauled out attempting to escape the crashing waves. And hovering above were 2 Bald Eagles watching every critter roaming around.
We continued our journey north through some beautiful Canadian islands. First entering Plumper Sound, then making our way out through Jorgenson Pass all while passing dramatic cliff sides, dense forests, and eerily clouded islands. Once back out in open water, we started scanning for a report of two Humpback Whales. With the choppy water, these 50-ft animals could surface discreetly, humps and dorsal fins hidden in the surrounding area. With all PWWA vessels on sight spread and scanning, it took about 30 minutes to find them – but alas we did it!
We had an incredible first look at these two whales as they passed behind our stern. With long surfacings, we noticed how protruding their nostrils are and the details of each dorsal fin. By catching one fluke, we found out the ID of this whale as Divot (BCX 1057, Female). Other vessels photo-identified the second Humpback as Zig Zag (BCX 1193, Female). We stayed for a few more surfacings with these elusive animals before turning south to begin our long journey home. Traveling through a new channel, we entered Active Pass and could admire more of the Canadian Islands before popping back out into Boundary Pass and cruising home. Though passengers endured rain, wind, and rolling waters, as soon as we entered home their faces lit up and were already reminiscing on our fantastic encounter.