Reports from the Field
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Sea Kayaking with Orca Whales......again.
The fun never ceases here at Anacortes Kayak Tours. We've had Orca whales here in Rosario Strait so many times over the last few weeks, I'm beginning to lose track of the sightings. Today was an incredible day as both our Multi-day Kayaking trips and our Outer Islands trips were graced with the presence of J-pod out near Cypress Island. It was an unusual sighting as well. The whales were coming down from Lummi Island, a common route for them to take, and when they reached Bellingham Channel they were hit by the full force of the flood tide. So they did what any smart whale would do when faced with the prospect of an "uphill" swim against the current, they took a nap. When Orca whales "sleep" they gather up quite closely and begin a series of rhythmic breathing patterns, moving slowly forward.
Monica called in from the campsite on Pelican Beach and told me that they were kayaking out in the Cone Islands when the whales came through. She said that all of her guests got a great look at all of the animals. When Freddie's Outer Islands trip came in I could see in everyone's faces that they had an incredible encounter. From their reports, the whales came right into Eagle Harbor on Cypress Island. If they hadn't respectfully paddled out of the way the whales would have apparently swam right under the kayaks. I was pleased to hear that Freddie was following the Best Practices Guidelines that have been developed over the years by the Whale Watch Association Northwest, a great organization of whale watching companies that we belong to. Resting whales should always be given a lot of room, even kayakers can possibly disturb them and so we always take the responsible approach and get out of the way.
I was told that the Island Adventures whale watch boat may have taken some nice photos of Freddie's encounter. I'll post them tomorrow, hopefully.
Apparently the whales were heading back north at the end of the day. We may get to see them again tomorrow!
In other news, our new baby Tashi is doing well. He's an great sleeper, and an incredible eater, which of course means.....lots of diapers.
Monica called in from the campsite on Pelican Beach and told me that they were kayaking out in the Cone Islands when the whales came through. She said that all of her guests got a great look at all of the animals. When Freddie's Outer Islands trip came in I could see in everyone's faces that they had an incredible encounter. From their reports, the whales came right into Eagle Harbor on Cypress Island. If they hadn't respectfully paddled out of the way the whales would have apparently swam right under the kayaks. I was pleased to hear that Freddie was following the Best Practices Guidelines that have been developed over the years by the Whale Watch Association Northwest, a great organization of whale watching companies that we belong to. Resting whales should always be given a lot of room, even kayakers can possibly disturb them and so we always take the responsible approach and get out of the way.
I was told that the Island Adventures whale watch boat may have taken some nice photos of Freddie's encounter. I'll post them tomorrow, hopefully.
Apparently the whales were heading back north at the end of the day. We may get to see them again tomorrow!
In other news, our new baby Tashi is doing well. He's an great sleeper, and an incredible eater, which of course means.....lots of diapers.
# posted by Anacortes Kayaks @ 10:01 PM 
