Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 09/28/2022 | 12:30pm
I was proper geeking out on today’s Classic Whale Watch. Now of course, the Salish Sea is well known to be an incredibly biodiverse ecosystem that allows us spectators to witness and appreciate a varied abundance of marine life- from tiny invertebrates to fifty ton cetaceans. Working out on the water, we become accustomed to our regular visitors: Humpback whales, Biggs killer whales, Steller sea lions, and Harbor seals just to name a few. Every now and again though, something pops up that surprises you!
Our first surprise was the sudden emergence of Southern Resident killer whales. It wasn’t uncommon to regularly see southern residents in years past. In fact, these whales were and are some of the most thoroughly documented and well studied cetaceans on the planet. Unfortunately, largely due to lack of prey availability (Chinook Salmon) we rarely see these pods anymore. This season seems to be somewhat of an exception though!
A large male appeared off our bow, his tall dorsal fin distinct and clear even from over a mile away. We slowly approached, careful to maintain a significant distance from these critically endangered local celebrities.He surfaced slowly, gracefully moving towards San Juan Island’s southern shoreline. We idled for just a few minutes, admiring the large male to our three o’clock while several more ressies breached and raced northward behind him on the horizon.
Sea Lion continued onward but it wasn't long before we met our second surprise of the day: Dall’s porpoise. Now I’ve only seen Dall's porpoise once before- a brief thirty second glimpse during my first whale watching season in SE Alaska. These porpoises are FAST. In fact, they’re thought to be amongst the speediest of the world's cetaceans having been clocked at over 34 mph. These speedy and elusive porpoises are easily identifiable, being starkly black and white in color and creating what's nicknamed a “rooster tail” of water as they swiftly break the surface. We glided alongside them for a long while while I thoroughly geeked out on the bow.
To top it all off, a Minke whale greeted us for our departure as we made our journey back home to Friday Harbor. What a great day!