Guests were skeptical as we pulled out of Roche Harbor due to the lack of whale reports; however, Roche Harbor had lots of boat traffic and is relatively tucked away from the radio signal. Therefore, once we pulled out and received whale reports right off of Lopez Island’s ferry dock, I was not surprised but also very relieved. We made our way to the transient killer whale siting and once on scene were able to spend a full hour enjoying traveling with the whales. Because transients eat marine mammals, they frequently change directions and surface quietly in attempts to not reveal their location to potential prey. Luckily for us the whales must have been moving with intent because they travelled along the shoreline in a relatively straight path and surfaced frequently.
Since it was the July 4th there were many private boaters on the water, meaning whale watchers that might not know/have access to the laws regarding marine mammal observations. Therefore, an organization called Soundwatch that goes out and educates any boater that is violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act. They had a busy day but in the end of the day July 4th is about celebrating freedom and the whales cannot truly feel free if boaters of any sort are harassing them.
