06/08/19
The sun shimmered brightly overhead as bald eagles chirped high up in far away pine trees. A beautiful start to the day up in Roche Harbor, Captain Erick and I headed out on the Sea Hawk. With just a few guests on board, it was nice to have the whole boat to ourselves!
We headed north across Spieden Channel and then up towards Flattop Island. This beautiful island is actually a National Wildlife Refuge! As we neared, we spotted at least 15 harbor seals laying out in the warm sun. They were so cute! Definitely seemed really comfortable as they tried to stay dry for as long as possible before the tide rises later and takes their shallow rocky beach underwater.
We circled the island looking for other wildlife and saw some pigeon guillemots diving into the water as they searched for fish! If they wanted to, they can dive up to 150 feet deep! These cute little birds look like oreos with their black bodies and big white spot.
Then we headed back down south just for a couple minutes before we found orca whales! They were so majestic as they swam close together, seemingly unaffected by the rushing currents. The pod of whales had one giant male with his 6 foot dorsal fin jutting out of the water with every breath. My guests were very excited to watch this big boy swim! But even though he was much larger than his mother and siblings, he loyally followed his mother wherever she led.
Eventually, we headed back towards the harbor, enjoying the beautiful weather and the islands all around. What a great day!
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