Today we left Roche Harbor with no whale reports in the area. We traveled up through John's Pass in route to Boundary Pass in hopes of coming across some whales. During our search we came across a few bald eagle pairs in flight as well as some harbor seals and harbor porpoise. We received a report of two humpback whales, and mother and calf pair, a few miles north of Waldron Island. We changed course and headed in that direction. We got to see some great looks at the mother humpback whale and her large calf. Humpback calves are born at about 10 to 15 feet and weight up to 1 ton. The calves generally stay with their mothers for about a year before traveling on their own. We watched the whales for some time and then headed back towards Roche Harbor. On our way back we stopped at Spieden Island to look at the bald eagles nest. Thankfully the bald eagle pair was home so we got to see them perched in the tree near their nest. We had a wonderful day out on the water with a family who chartered the boat in celebration for their wedding tomorrow. The group was a blast to spend the day on the water with! Congratulations to the happy couple from everyone at San Juan Outfitters.
Naturalist Rachel
M/V Seahawk, San Juan Outfitters