Our guests braved the rough sea's today to get a glimpse of three humpbacks that were traveling along the contour lines of Hein Bank! We headed out from our Friday Harbor location, and out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where the seas got a little rough. Our guests were fully prepared in bright yellow rain slickers and blankets; they were having a lot of fun!
When we got on seen with the three humpbacks we were all happy to see the first one surface just minuets after we got there! Humpbacks are about the size of our boat, and females can sometimes get larger than that (60 feet)! They are baleen whales that feed on small sand lance, krill, and small schools of herring. They are known for their vocalistic style down in the Hawaiian breeding ground, but brave the trip up North to the feeding ground on four months of an empty stomach! They are pretty incredible mammals. The whales we were watching put on a great show! What a great trip!
Heather, Naturalist, M/V Sea Lion
San Juan Safaris