Passengers on our spacious bow enjoy watching the Dalls Porpoise play right at their feet in our bow wave:)
T14 & T31, two of the most proficient killers ever seen in the Salish Sea!
Minke Whale Five Star found near Hein Bank.
Over the last few days we have had some breathtaking encounters with Dalls Porpoise!
The three pictures above are of Harbor Porpoise, we saw hundreds of them in the morning!
We set out of the harbor this at 9am morning and as the first boat it was up to Five Star to find the wildlife. Not long after we left the Harbor we started to see Harbor Porpoise and these small Cetaceans were popping up everywhere we looked! We then headed over to Beaumont Shoals and spotted some Dalls Porpoise and wondered if they would be playful. Sure enough a number of the Dalls soon popped up in our bow wave and began surfing. Watching these amazing Cetaceans swim right under our bow is an incredible experience and one that thrilled our passengers! After playing with the Dalls for 20 minutes we headed over to Hein Bank where we spotted at least one if not more Minke Whales. We concluded our morning trip with a visit to Race Rocks to see the hundreds of Harbor Seals and both California and Stellar Sealions.
In the afternoon we headed out west in search of Orcas and received a report that two Transient Orcas had been sighted near Beacher Bay, not far from where we were. As we arrived on scene researcher Ron Bates, MMRG, soon identified the two male Transient Orcas as T14 and T31, probably the two most proficient killers ever to frequent the Salish Sea! We watched these two apex predators as they foraged along the shoreline, and observed a kill probably of a Harbor Seal. Then we were astonished to see these to hunters as they socialized in the kelp beds, a rare sight indeed:)
We finished our afternoon with another visit to Race Rocks Marine Protected Area and observed the various Pinnipeds (Seals and Sealions) at this important Ecological Reserve. Then as we headed for home we spotted more Dalls Porpoise and once again they played in our bow wave. Due to having two hulls our Expedition Catamarans seem to be a favorite with these playful Porpoise and our passengers always have front row seats watching from the bow of our boat!
Today was a perfect example why September is possibly the best month to partake in a Whale Watching adventure with Five Star Whale Watching:)
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