Today was a great day for watching our mammal hunting transient killer whales! We left our Friday Harbor location in hopes of encountering these majestic whales along the way and were pleased when we found them! The stakes were high, I had already seen this same small pod of transients kill a harbor seal days before and hoped this trip would be just as good; I wasn't let down! These whales seemed to be on a course of their own as they surfaced about 3 feet from our boat and proceeded to go around our boat equally as close. It was an amazing experience, once which both myself and our guests will surely never forget. I'm pretty sure everyone got some whale breath on them too!!
During our viewing of T-65 and her Pod, we also saw Harbor Porpoise which were conventionality and speedily heading in the other direction as our mammal hunting whales. I think it's safe to say they were "running for their life"!
On our way home we got a fantastic look at some Harbor Seals and pups hauled out on the rocks. Harbor Seal females will actually develop a strong bond with her pups but wean them rather abruptly after 3-5 weeks of birth. It's a rough life for a Harbor Seal pup! I say this just about every time, but I love my job! Nothing beats seeing wildlife like that every day in their natural environment. I'm pretty sure Captain Mike and Naturist Caitlin feel the same way! I'm so glad we could share that experience with our guest!
Heather, Naturalist, Sea Lion