Erin | M/V Sea Hawk | Saturday, June 29, 2019 | 2:00 PM
What a breathtaking trip aboard the M/V Sea Hawk today! We left Roche Harbor and headed toward John's Pass. In John's Pass, we got a really great look at an adult bald eagle resting on top of a flag pole. It was looking quite regal. We then headed into Boundary Pass toward East Point on Saturna Island. On the way to East Point, we saw a couple of harbor seals pop their heads out of the water. We continued toward East Point because we had reports of orcas quite far away, and we were on a mission to see them. As we rounded the corner around East Point, the area that the whales were in started getting closer and closer.
Soon, we were amongst at least 11 whales that were travelling west. We could see the Vancouver skyline in the distance. The whales were identified as the T46's and the T46B's. That means that T46, who is a great grandmother, was travelling with all of her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. One of her great grandchildren is T46B1B, and it is a leucistic whale! It appears very white/silver, as it is lacking pigmentation. There were a couple of other juveniles in the group, and they were surfacing much more frequently than the adults. There were also two large males in the pod, who awed everyone when they surfaced. It was a brief encounter with the orcas, but it was worth every second! On our way back to the harbor, we saw at least 10 harbor seals pop their heads up, and some of them were close enough to get some good views! It was an incredible day aboard the M/V Sea Hawk! Until next time!
Naturalist Erin