Sunday, July 27th
We had to journey a long way to get to the whales this morning but it was definitely worth the journey. We travelled to the beautiful waters of Boundary Pass where we encountered J-pod along with a few L-pod whales travelling east as they made their way towards San Juan Island. We had some great passes from several different animals, and we observed some awesome behaviours... even a few breaches! However, the highlight for this naturalist was some truly amazing foraging behaviour from Ruffles. It was a breathtaking encounter as this magnificent cetacean foraged near our vessel. He did not seem the least bit disturbed by our presence. What an amazing encounter! It was one that the passengers and crew will not soon forget!
Our 1 pm trip travelled near Andrew's Bay on San Juan Island, where we encountered mostly J-pod whales travelling south. Perhaps the highlight of the trip was our initial passes with J1 "Ruffles", one of the true icons of the west coast. It is always a treat to show our guests this remarkable animal, and he did not disappoint. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
When we left the dock at 5 pm this evening, I am sure that neither or passengers nor the crew of naturalist Corey (me) and our Captain Rick had no idea of the adventure that was in store for us. It would prove to be one of my most memorable trips for a variety of reasons and it was one of my best whale experiences in my 4 years as a whale watcher. Although the water was somewhat rough, the whale watching was superb. The whales were incredibly active and we were treated to a remarkable display of orca behaviours: cartwheels, breaches, porpoising, tailslaps and spyhops! It was some of the best whale watching I have had in admittedly not the best of conditions. This trip was made even more memorable due to our guests, who treated this evening and the rough seas as an adventure. They reminded me what a treat it is to be able to share my passion for orcas and other Salish sea wildlife. It was definitely a trip to remember.
