[Naturalist Sarah M. – 09/20/2017 – M/V Kestrel – 02:00pm]
Today was the embodiment of a perfect September day in the San Juan Islands. The clouds were high and we had periodic sun with some of the smoothest water I’ve ever seen in Haro Strait and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Sea Lions
Captain Mike and I were lucky to have a group of 16 wonderful guests out for our Adventure Whale Watch. Mike steered the boat south out of Friday Harbor, and we headed down San Juan Channel through Griffin Bay. We stopped at Whale Rocks to check out some Steller’s sea lions before heading out into the wide-open straits.
Today as the tide switched from ebb to flood, moving with the wind, the waves that had existed in the morning laid down and became super glassy. We transited across the straits to Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, just beyond the city of Victoria. Up on the rocks underneath the iconic black and white lighthouse we found Steller’s sea lions and California sea lions. From far away it is easy to tell the difference between the two species of pinnipeds just by listening to them: Stellers’ have a deep gravelly voice, while the Californias make the typical high-pitched barking vocalization.
Transient Killer Whales
After Race Rocks we headed south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca where we found the T011s drifting with the tide. The whales were sleepily rolling through the smooth ocean swell. I love this family. T011 “Wakana” travels with her adult sone T011A “Rainy” demonstrating the incredible, life-long bond that these whales cultivate. T011A “Rainy” is one of my absolute favorite orcas that we have in our waters. Born in 1978, he is the largest orca that has ever been measured by hexacopter drone, he is rarely seen more than a body length away from his mother.
Dall's Porpoise
After leaving the whales we started transiting back towards the San Juan Islands, but got distracted by a large group of Dall’s porpoise. These large-bodied porpoise are one of the fastest marine mammals in the world, capable of swimming over 40 miles per hour. We caught glimpses of the striking black and white mammals, and even got a chance to see a teeny tiny calf.
Humpback Whales
As we made our way into San Juan Channel Mike and got reports of a trio of humpbacks traveling south towards us from Point Caution. Never to pass up the chance to see close whales, we decided to shoot just past Friday Harbor to find the humpbacks. We encountered the three behemoths at the mouth of the harbor. We identified the three whales as MMY0006 “Windy,” BCY0160 “Heather,” and BCX1057 “Divot.”
Enjoy some photos from the day!
See all 14 photos
