[8/2/17- M/V Kestrel- Kelsey, Naturalist- 10:00AM & 2:00PM]
Today presented a blanket of fog in the surrounding waters of San Juan Island, and smoke from wildfires burning up north in Canada was also thrown into the mix of fog. This meant that today’s visibility was less than clear or sunny, but that actually created some stunning whale watching! The grey paired with the smooth, glassy waters made for a mirror-like effect, and it was almost an ethereal feel as we glided effortlessly from Friday Harbor to the whales.
We departed Friday Harbor on M/V Kestrel and first went to Victoria, BC to look for transient killer whales, and we came upon the T18’s! This was a group with a lead female, T18, who hangs with another female who had with her her two adult male offspring, T19B and T19C. So, a group of four beautiful mammal-hunting orcas were in view! It was an incredible sight, seeing nothing but grey skies and glassy seas, but then seeing towering black dorsal fins cutting through the calm just to disappear again into the monochrome abyss.
Our afternoon trip saw the same group of whales, but this time, they had made it along to the west side of San Juan Island, just in front of Lime Kiln State Park and were making their way up north towards County Park. They were in complete stealth mode, even making their breaths quiet as they made quick surfaces, darting amongst kayaks and kelp forests. They were riding the shoreline closely, most likely hunting for harbor seals!
Harbor seals, harbor porpoise, and bald eagles were all left on the agendas throughout both trips, all fun additional sightings to complete the day!