Anacortes
Humpback- BCX1057 Divot
11:00am trip
We cruised out of the marina today in classic Washington style, watching the rain drizzle on outside while sipping hot chocolate and coffee. Beyond Guemes channel, we began our search by heading north. Our first brief encounter with wildlife took form in a massive bait ball that had churned up a flock of hungry glaucous-wing gulls at the surface. We then slid by PeaPod rocks to see some harbor seals taking a mid day break from their fishing expeditions. The sightings continued with an immature bald eagle scouting on the rocks, his or her head just beginning to shift from brown to speckled white. Cruising up the coast of Orcas Island, two more matured bald eagles were spotted, one resting on a marker while the other a few hundred yards north high in the top of a fur tree. These likely mated birds were both using their height to their advantage, scouting the currents below for their next possible meal. Continuing our adventure north, we spied a few sleek harbor porpoises hunting in the tide streaks, a special sighting with their quick and sporadic nature! Next to join the party was a clan of napping sea lions who had found comfortable beds in the exposed rocks at low tide. They weren't the only ones in the tideline, either. A mile down Orcas Island's coast, we came across a colony brightly colored sea stars dotting the shore just above the surface. Keeping these sea stars company were small groups of Pigeon Guillemots flittering around the steep cliff sides that rose high above us. As we rounded the northern most portion of the Salish Archipelago, we got word of a Humpback off the coast of San Juan Island. Once on scene, we discovered this whale to be Divot! A regular in the summer Salish Sea waters, Divot has been visiting Washington since 2008, bringing a new calf from the Hawaiian islands every few years. The rain settled and slowed as we spotted Divot's first blows. We were all stoked to get some amazing looks as this whale re-oxygenated at the surface, sending up tall, still-standing blows before rolling her back through the water and returning to the deep. Before we departed the scene, Divot gave is two beautiful flukes as she dove down into the darkness! An awe-inspiring end to a tranquil day out in the islands!
-Amy
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