Sunday, July 18th, 2010 was an evening to remember. The crew aboard the M/V Sea Lion never thought they would be so deeply touched in the presence of the orca whales. We spotted at least 12 members of the L-pod traveling in small groups of 3-5 near Eagle Point. The calm waters on the west side of San Juan Island made for perfect viewing conditions. Adult and juvenile whales were hauling their large, glossy bodies out of the water left and right. Breaching, spy hopping, cartwheeling, and tail slapping were all displayed. I can try to explain what it looks like to see these majestic animals in the wild; however, I cannot describe the feeling you get being among them. It is simply breathtaking. I do have to say, this calm and quiet evening was not so quiet. A large adult male made impressively loud claps on the water slapping his tail fluke six times in a row. Beneath the surface, we used our hydrophone to listen to the whales communicating. Listening to their vocalizations made this trip even more captivating.
Naturalist,
Sally