Orchas !

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blog 09-12-17 Orchas !

It was up and out early today to catch the whale watching boat out of Anacordes to the San Juan Islands to see if we could find the Orchas that feed here. We were on the newest ship of their fleet a catamaran that could hold 130 people and travel at 25 knots. There are 3 floors, the main floor with padded seats and tables, the second deck with some inside seating and outside seating and the third deck with metal seats and a top for shade but no sides. All the decks had walk around viewing areas with great viewing from almost anywhere.

Our departure time was 11 am and we were pretty close. The ship slipped out of the harbor and between the islands and we were on our adventure. There was a naturalist on board and she told us all about what we might see today and how to spot wildlife. We rode through a narrow passage between 2 islands and there were harbor seals sunning themselves on some of the rocks and cormorants everywhere. Cormorants are birds that swim underwater to catch fish then stand on the rocks to dry their feathers. Having no oil on their feathers enables them to dive deep for their food but then they have to dry to warm up and be able to fly. One outstanding feature of this island was it's smell. Wow it smelled. Pictures

The water is clear and dark indicating the depth of the sound. We were sailing in the Puget Sound between the islands of which there are many. Some are parks for the wildlife, other are private and some dotted with houses other just a few houses. What a beautiful place to live, but of course I saw it with the sun out.

We passed another island and this one was loaded with Stellar Seals basking in the sunshine. Coming out of the water they are black and sleek then when they dry their fur is a light brown. Pictures

Then suddenly we were in a "marine layer", a fog bank that stays just above the water. We couldn't see anything but our boat and it was very quiet. The captain announced that in this spot Orcas were spotted earlier so we had to keep our eyes open and our ears, we would hear them before we saw them. All 70 people on board were silent, listening, straining our eyes to see anything.

Then we heard a blow, an exhail from an Orca, but we still couldn't see them. One surfaced right in front of the boat, the only way to see it.

The fog lifted just enough to get a glimpse of them, thrilling moment. There were 2 females then a short distance away there were 2 males. They have a huge dorsal fin, some 6 ft high, and it's a little easier to get a picture of them because the fin comes up first. It was difficult taking pictures because of the fog, my camera wouldn't focus so I had to rely on my eye to focus and snap quickly. The Orcas kept us busy going from one side of the boat to the other but it was very exciting.

Then it was time to go inside to try to warm up. Before we left the dock the forcast was for sunny and 72 but it's always colder on the water. The temp was probably 55 and very damp in the fog. My hair was dripping water on my glasses. So it was hot chocolate for me and tea for Ginnie.

Before too long the Captain announced that we were headed to a sighting of an animal. What animal? It turned out to be a humpback whale crusing the waters for lunch. He came up and down several times before he took a deeper dive and showed his tail, which is actually his fluke. Picture.

On the tail subject, sharks and most fish have tails, they go side to side. The Orcas are in the dolphon family and have a fluke that propells them by going up and down as does the humpback whale that we saw. We learned lots of interesting facts on this cruise. Like the harbor seals are referred to as sausages because they just lay on a rock with their head and tail up unlike the seals that have joints which enable them to push themselves up and even climb some rocks.

Ginnie's observations: Taking note of the people who operated the boat particularly the chef in the galley. He was working in shorts and a T shirt while the rest of us were bundled up with jackets, hats and gloves. Maybe it was warm in the kitchen area but he did go outside to see the whales when we spotted them. We came very close to the smaller islands, and how lucky we were that the water was very calm, hardly a ripple.

As we cruised for home they pointed out some of the islands and a little history of the area. It was a delightful afternoon, great getting out on the water and seeing the area from a different prespective.

When we got home, fed the boys and ourselves and tried to get warm, we were chilled to the bone.

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