MORNING TOURS
It was a beautiful, glassy morning out on the Salish Sea. The Marauder IV sailed smoothly south towards the Canadian-American border. It truly was the perfect conditions for whale watching and we could spot blows from Humpback whales in the distance. We stopped and spent time with three in particular: a mother, an adult and a little calf. It was one of the smallest calves we have seen this summer so far, adorable to watch it learn the ways of the ocean. Surfacing beside the larger animals really gave a perspective of the Humpback whale’s large size. The adults had to curtail their deep dives to compensate for the little one’s abilities. They were moving towards an even larger group of whales so we followed their direction.
Further to the west there were blows visible in every direction. We watched adult Humpback whales gracefully fluke and dive getting a really good look at all their varying tail patterns. A stop in at Race Rocks provided an experience for the senses with the smell, sight and sound of all the Sea Lions. Not to mention the small Harbor seals were enjoying the sunshine that was beginning to poke through the clouds! A peaceful, happy, humpback morning!
AFTERNOON TOURS
The good weather from earlier in the day continued into the afternoon and with the sun at its full height we set sail again in very calm waters. A direction of southwest was taken and we came across a Humpback hideout! Humpbacks were here, there and everywhere. The hardest part of the trip was deciding which whale to watch. Blows reached into the sky, tails flicked into the air and dorsal fins popped up.
It was a brilliant sight and we chose a few in particular to spend time with. A couple were real lackadaisical, while another pair was going for deep, productive dives. While watching the whales we could hear the bark of the California Sea Lions beckoning us over to Race Rocks so we thought it would be rude not to go over and say “Hi”. The Steller Sea Lions lounged around too and the Harbor Seals flopped in and out of the water.
It is such a positive sight to see so many Humpbacks gracing the Salish Sea this summer, long may it continue!