The last two days have been spectacular working on M/V Kestrel, and have truly made me appreciate the capabilities of the vessel.
On Friday Captain Mike and I took our guests over towards the city of Victoria to find a pair of humpback whales travelling out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. WE enjoyed watching those incredible creatures surface and fluke-up, raising their giant tails in the air, as they traveled. Humpback whales are a fairly recent re-addition to the Salish Sea ecosystem after being extirpated in the early 1900’s. Within the last 15 years we have seen a resurgence of the species in local waters, and it hasn’t been until the last 5 years that we could consider humpback whales to be regular visitors! It is amazing to be able to observe these behemoths from the water-level deck of Kestrel. In addition to humpbacks we also saw harbor seals, Steller’s sea lions, bald eagles, kelp forests, and harbor porpoises.
On Saturday evening Captain Brian and I ran a charter on Kestrel, leaving from Jones Island. We were fortunate enough to have Dr. Giles from the Center for Whale Research join us and our charter guests to talk about the Southern Resident Killer Whales in the area. We were lucky enough to have a spectacular encounter north of Jones in Boundary Pass, just south of Saturn Island. We were fortunate enough to catch up with some J-Pod whales, specifically the J16, J11, and J19 matrilines. The whales were traveling tightly grouped through glassy water and with our engines shutdown you could hear their massive exhalations. Guests enjoyed a discussion with Dr. Giles as they watched the whales and then as we slowly motored away from the scene. It was such a distinct pleasure to have such knowledgeable and inquisitive guests aboard, and it is always a pleasure to hear Dr. Giles speak!
Breaching Southern Resident Killer Whale Sarah McCullagh