Where to start!? We had another amazing on the water! Sunny, low 70s, zero wind. I don’t think we could have any better weather!
Captain Brian and Naturalist Kevin had an incredible whale watch tour aboard the Sea Hawk. We had a small group today, so Kevin had a lot of one-on-one time with each guest. Captain Brian motored the Sea Hawk south out of Roche Harbor down Mosquito Pass into the open area of water commonly referred to as Open Bay. Almost immediately, Princess Angeline (J17, born 1977) who was with her youngest calf Moby (J44, born 2009) and also her daugther Tahlequah (J35, born 1998) surfaced near the Sea Hawk. Tahlequah was traveling with her son Looker (J47, born 2010). There were three generations traveling together! There was another mother and calf traveling a little ways off from this group of four, which was no doubt Polaris (J28, born 1993) and her offspring Star (J46, born 2010). Polaris and Star are the daughter and granddaughter of Princess Angeline. Got all that!?
Princess Angeline, Moby, Tahlequah, and Looker spent two hours with the Sea Hawk! They were rolling through the water and the mothers were pushing their calves to the surface with their nose (also known as the rostrum). At one point, Kevin could hear the Orcas vocalizing through the hull of the Sea Hawk. The most exciting moment in the tour, however, was when Looker really gave a good look at our guests. Looker slowly floated past the Sea Hawk just under the surface of the water and then sloowly turned to his side and looked at everyone on board! Everyone was shocked! Kevin only experienced this one other time ever and that was back in 1999!
Our kayak guides had an equally exciting day on the water. Kayak guide Andrew encountered J Pod killer whales on his afternoon tour! Him and his guests had a close encounter with an adult male and female pair of Orcas traveling north on the west side of Henry Island. Guide Libby reported back that our favorite nesting bald eagle pair on McCracken Point is diligently repairing their nest. Several weeks ago, their nest collapsed because of its weight. Bald eagles will return to the same nest every year and continue adding on to the existing nest. Nest can easily weigh several hundred pounds….some up to a ton! Libby and her guests floated in the kelp beds while watching the eagles fly back-and-forth with twigs and straw. So cool!