The Sea Hawk (with Captain Bill and Naturalist Kevin) just got back to Roche Harbor and their guests were all smiles! I don’t think I’ve ever a group of our guests so excited. Kevin summed it up as one of the best activity days so far this season. There were multiple full body breeches as well as other surface activity. Kevin confirmed that the whales were members of K pod. The biggest highlight of the trip was when K27 and her new born calf, K44 (born this past Wednesday!) and her subgroup swam right underneath the Sea Hawk. Our guests were able to clearly see K44’s saddle patch and the cream & orange coloration of the underside & eye patch. Calves will keep this creamy color until they are about three. Eventually, that creamy color will fade into white, which creates that very distinct killer whale coloration.
Don & Chase, Michael, and Josh had separate three-hour paddles. They had harbor seals swim under their kayaks, watched an eagle fish a salmon out of the water, and convinced an entire family group with 6 kids to sample some kelp! In addition to our regular day & half-day paddles, we have three separate multi-days on the water this weekend. Guides Emily, Nick, Philip, and Nick are paddling, cooking, and camping with their guests!
Lastly, we have a brand new hydrophone for our whale watch boat. A hydrophone is an underwater microphone that is lowered about 20 feet into the water. The microphone transmits vocalizations that can be heard through the amplifier on board. We will test it on the water tomorrow during our morning whale watch!