[Naturalist Erick D., M/V Kestrel, 8/28/17, 2:00PM]
It was Captain Gabe and me again today, going out there to have a bunch of fun with folks aboard the Kestrel. We started on a longer than usual trip heading south, then west towards Victoria and Vancouver Island. We headed there and went further west, beyond Race Rocks – the furthest point south along Vancouver Island. We almost made it to Sooke when we saw the group of Transient (Bigg’s) Orcas that we were looking for. It was the T060’s (the same ones that we encountered yesterday) along with another family. They were traveling along the coastline towards Victoria.
We watched them for a while, and got to see them fight a pretty strong current then figure that it was easier going a different direction so they turned southeast after passing Beechy Head. They swam underneath all the boats ended up on the other side. One of them spyhopped to look back at us and they continued onward. At that point we had to continue on as well. We headed back east towards Friday Harbor. Before we returned to San Juan Channel though we stopped at Whale Rocks to look at the grumbly Steller Sea Lions. There was a bunch of them hauled out on the rocks and few in the water doing what can best be described as wrestling. We soon left these goof balls too after we watched one scratch the top of its head with its flipper for a while.
Whale folks until next time,
Naturalist Erick