[Sarah M | 08/15/2018 | M/V Seahawk | 02:00pm]
Yesterday the M/V Seahawk had another great trip in the Salish Sea. Even though we are still experiencing smoky conditions, the wildlife sightings have been off the charts amazing and unaffected by the atmospheric conditions.
On our 02:00pm afternoon trip we left Roche Harbor and headed southwest through Mosquito Pass towards Sidney Island. As we reached the south end of Sidney Island, near Hughes Pass we found a family of killer whales known as the T002Cs. When we found them, this family of Bigg’s killer whales was traveling along the shoreline in shallow water hunting seals. Led by matriarch T002C “Tasu”, the family of five is a tight knit group that exemplifies the familial bonds within killer whale society. T002C2 “Tumbo”, the second born calf, is a teenage male who displays a serious case of kyphoscoliosis, which impacts his ability to hunt and travel with his family. Without the support of his mother and siblings this young male would not survive! We got to see the whales make a kill and participate in food sharing behavior before they continued on their way north.
After a great encounter with the whales we also got to take a look at harbor seals, seabirds, and just the beautiful landscape of the San Juan Islands!
