Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 13th, 2021 | 12:30pm
It was a rainy day leaving the dock. We could smell it in the air even if we could not feel it on our skins just yet. One thing I’ve learned is that being in nature feeling all the elements in addition to watching wild animals go about their day, is an entirely different feeling that is truly something special. That is exactly what we got this Sunday afternoon. While there was a Humpback Whale and calf duo in Spieden Channel just north of San Juan Island, we decided to follow up on some other whale reports after noticing the high volume of private vessels in the area.
We strive to be as respectful and as responsible as we can when navigating around these around all whales and wildlife, which includes paying attention to the number of vessels in the area and the time spent viewing them. Therefore, we aimed for an Island named Skipjack that sits in Boundary Pass. As the sky and the water started to mix into the same milky gray, we noticed a tall, black dorsal fin slowly rise beneath the depths. This large fin belonged to a lone Bigg’s Killer Whale identified as T124C, also known as “Cooper,” named after a Glacier Bay researcher, William Cooper.
This male was born in 1992 and a bit of an anomaly as it is not common to see males traveling by themselves in a family oriented matriarchal system. We had ample amounts of time admiring this giant dolphin as the only vessel on scene. Feeling the rain hit our cheeks and just be IN the moment, is something I will never take for granted.
As we approached home once again, milling just outside of Friday Harbor was the Humpback Whale mum (Divot) and calf that was spotted earlier. Taking a few moments to watch as they interacted with one another was a beautiful way to wrap up this June weekend.