7/20/2022
MV Osprey
Helena
12:30
This Wednesday MV Osprey and the crew departed the harbor around 12:30pm hungry for adventure! We journeyed south down San Juan Channel into Cattle Pass. Our fantastic mountain ranges gave spectacular backdrops as we took in Cattle Point Lighthouse. In the mid-1800s, cattle off-loaded from ships by Hudson Bay Company gave Cattle Point and Cattle Pass its name. Beneath the vessel we began to feel the colliding currents of the Haro Strait, The Strait of Juan de Fuca and San Juan Channel.
We continued into Salmon Bank and scanned for wildlife big and small. Oftentimes on these shallow shelves off of South Beach on San Juan Island we are scanning for Bait Balls. From the water’s surface, this means large clusters of shorebirds diving which may indicate small schooling/bait fish underneath!
Not before long we received word from another vessel less than a nautical mile away that they had spotted a Humpback Whale! We watched in awe as this cetacean (which can grow to be as long as a school bus and up to fifty tons) took 4-7 minute dives and gave some fantastic fluke dives. With the Olympic Mountain Range in the background, my breath was taken away!
After our encounter with this unidentified humpback, we veered back into Cattle Pass to sneak a peek at a personal favorite spot, Whale Rocks. On the way we identified shore bird after shore bird. My “Bird List” on the chart grew before my eyes and I spotted several of one of my favorite shorebirds, the Rhinoceros Auklet.
On Whale Rocks we encountered several Harbor Seals and harbor seal pups thermoregulating along the shoreline. Around the southern point of the rocks lay the more vocal pinniped, the Steller Sea Lion! We observed several individuals dive into the water, splashing and thrashing to no end!
We made it back to Friday Harbor by 4pm and the crew was buzzing from just how much we can see in a day!