Yesterday Deborah set off on a 5 hour "Orca Search By Kayak" sea kayak tour and boy did they find whales! Deborah reported that the southern resident killer whales were spread out across the Haro Strait, and her group was in the perfect position to see a lot of activity from the whales as they swam past. While normally the protocol (for kayaking when whales are present) is to paddle offshore, yesterday the currents were so strong that it would have been potentially dangerous to have her group spread out and paddling separately so as the whales came closer Deborah brought her guests into a forest of bull kelp and had everyone sit tight. Once there the whales came closer than even she expected. The whales came into the kelp, and at one point surfaced so close to Deborah that "she could have reached out her 6ft paddle and touched it".
Truly a spectacular whale encounter for the whole group, and what a treat during such a celebratory weekend!