A rewarding day
Sometimes the beauty of a day isn’t found in perfectly blue skies and flat seas, but in the feeling of the boat handling the waves and currents, almost like a dance, or a conversation between two entities. To sense the power of the water beneath us is a reminder that we are a small part of a bigger picture, and today aboard the MV Seasmoke, we were privileged to be scouting the islands and inlets looking for signs of the abundant wildlife in our coastal environment.
Our search was rewarded when a group of northern resident orcas surfaced in our vicinity. Excitement filled the air as cameras were whipped into action. Later we spotted a humpback’s dorsal fin above the waves. As its body arched, we watched it roll into a dive, its tale stock and then fluke appearing before it slipped beneath the surface.
Adult humpback whales are usually between 12 and 15 metres long, weighing 25 - 30 tonnes. Because its dorsal fin is so far behind the centre of its body it is hard to imagine how huge this whale really is when watching it surface and fluke.
Diversity abounds in the Pacific Northwest, and along our way we had the opportunity to view a variety of birds such as the common murre, bald eagles, and even several Turkey vultures that hovered around the carcass of a dead Stellar sea lion.
It was with a renewed sense of awe and wonder that we headed back again. A truly rewarding day!
