[6/17/17- M/V Kestrel- 2:00PM] It was a day to remember out on the Salish Sea! We departed Friday Harbor from San Juan Island on M/V Kestrel, a high-adventure zodiac-style boat. And holy smokes, within 15 minutes we were already upon some transient killer whales! Snuggled between San Juan Island and Lopez Island were the T65’s, a small family group that has been hanging around the San Juan Islands frequently. They were calmly traveling in a tight-knit group, breathing together in unison. They began headed south towards Cattle Point on San Juan Island, and we followed them along for a short time before deciding to depart further ahead in search of more whales.
We zipped across into the Haro Straight, and in open waters we could see a large group of whales. As we got closer, we could tell right away (primarily due to the fact that the group size was large, around 20) that they were Southern resident killer whales! Specifically, they were members of L pod, and they had not been spotted around the San Juan Islands since September! They were tail slapping and splashing, characteristic surface behavior of residents. Soon enough, they switched directions and began heading towards our vessel! We placed ourselves out of the way, and they swam closer off the sides of our boat. The group of 20 slowly surfaced and breathed above the water RIGHT next to us, and they continued to surface and slowly travel by us. Puffs of exhale and the continuous sound of breathing whales surrounded us. No words can describe the magic of the moment and the awe it created amongst us as we watched these incredible animals roam past us off the side of our boat. They took a deep dive and separated from our boat, disappearing before surfacing further out in the distance. We watched them for a while longer before heading home in an awestruck fog, seeing bald eagles and a bald eagle’s nest, Stellar’s sea lions, harbor seals, harbor porpoise, and even a quick minke whale sighting!
I wish I could describe that feeling of being out on the water feet away from 20 large killer whales breathing as one family unit, but it really is an experience that is indescribable. It’s beautiful, magnificent, and humbling, and the emotion it’s capable of evoking from a person is powerful. I wish that everyone could experience that feeling, because it is a moment that sticks with you forever.