Olivia | May 30th, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm
Not only did we have an amazing group of people on the boat today, it was gorgeous outside! With a smaller number of people, it was just Captain Gabe and me. We started off the trip heading north through the San Juan Channel past Shaw and Orcas Islands. We wound around Waldron Island through Presidents Channel where we were able to see many Harbor Porpoises. Did you know that these porpoises have a broad range frequency from around 40 Hz to 150 kHz, in order to “stay under the radar” of larger predatory Bigg’s Killer Whales? What a neat adaptation!
From there we found our way up to Java Rocks on the south side of Saturna Island where a huge Bald Eagle perched up scanning the horizon. From this lower level, it was easy to see their size as they stood 3 feet high. Not only did we have our country’s bird, but snoozing just below on the water line, as well as playing in the shallow water, were the Harbor Seals! Being two days away from June where we tend to see an increase in their population, we get more anxious to see if any pups have been born yet. We did not linger around too long because just around the corner was a Humpback Whale!
This Humpback was identified as Divot. To positively identify these returning individuals, we heavily rely on photo identification that marks the percentage of white underneath their tail fluke, as well as all the individual scaring, ridges, and overall shape of the fluke itself. I was highly impressed with the amount of questions I received about the positive influence ecotour whale watching has on these cetaceans, as well as other species we did not witness today. It is overwhelming in the best way to see that curiosity in wanting to make a change and what we can do as individuals.
We had the most smiley faces and best conversations coming off this boat! It is always a joy to visibly see that connection we helped form with mammals that are not too different from ourselves. To learn more about our rules and regulations, what we do as a company to positively influence the marine life in the Salish Sea, as well as what you can do to help, come out and learn more from our Naturalists and Captains!