Captain Cal and I headed out of Roche Harbor with a full boat today. No other captains reported any sightings of killer whales (orcas), so we decided to try our luck looking for all sorts of other wildlife (while keeping our fingers crossed for whales of course). And what a day we had!
To start with, it was absolutely gorgeous out-- clear skies and water like glass all the way across to Canada. We motored south to Kelp Reef and glimpsed some dozing Steller Sea Lion hanging out on the channel marker with two Bald Eagles perched overhead. Then, as we turned around, we found some Dall's porpoise that wanted to play! These gorgeous creatures were having a grand old time-- surfacing all around and right along side our boat, swimming just underneath and beside the bow which allowed for amazingly clear views from just a few feet away. We stayed with these critters for a little while, before moving north.
On our way by Henry & Speiden Islands, we got great looks at harbor seals, bald eagles, mouflan sheep, lots of waterbirds and even a mink and a river otter! It's not every day that we get to see some of those animals, so it was extraordinary to see them all at once!