Jordan | August 1, 2018 | M/V Sea Hawk | 2:00 trip
Today was a great day for the Sea Hawk! It was a sunny day with a crisp breeze and Captain Sarah and I heard reports of whales up in Canada so we headed north. We passed by Spieden, alongside Waldron, across Boundary Pass and up towards East Point off of Saturna Island.
Here we found J pod! J pod is one of only three Southern Resident pods that are found within the San Juan islands. Here we found them traveling south from Canadian waters down towards America. These whales were really enjoyable to watch as whale after whale breached and flashed their entire bodies at our boat! We even saw a few whales playing in the wake of the Center for Whale Research boat. They were getting so close to that tiny vessel, making their massive bodies look even bigger! Incredible. We watched them play together, travel, feed, breach, spyhop basically everywhere we looked! Amazing.
Eventually we headed back but along the way we went by Spieden Island and spotted a pair of bald eagles perched perfectly on a dead tree by the water. This was an adorable example of a pair mated for their entire lives! It’s always nice when we find monogamy in nature.
Then we spotted some mouflon sheep and fallow deer dancing precariously on the cliffside as they attempted to get water from freshwater springs. Then we passed by the Cactus Islands and spotted some harbor seals bobbing their heads amongst the kelp forests.
What a splendid day!