Well, the residents graced us with their presence today after a brief hiatus. However, so did the fog. Although Captain Craig isn't crazy about the fog (which I guess makes sense seeing he's in charge of our lives and safety and such), I love it. We drove through Cattle Pass on the way to reach the Southern Resident orcas and were hit with a wall of fog. Taking advantage of the luxuries of modern technology, Capt. Craig skillfully maneuvered the M.V. Sea Lion to the scene of the whales, without the slightest glimpse of land or sky to guide us. When we arrived on scene visibility was minimal at best, but we were determined to find the whales.
So, in a situation like this one, what's the best way to accomplish this goal? Shut off the engine! Excited visitors to the San Juans are enticed with the lure of "Whale Watching," but it's all too easy to forget it isn't all about our eyes. It is so easy to forget our other senses. The orcas use their hearing much more than their vision. They use echolocation to hunt and various squeaks and squeals to communicate. An orca pod can be miles away from one another, but because they use sound to travel, communicate, and hunt, they are still considered to be "together." Today passengers on the boat got the chance to experience a brief glimpse into an orcas world. We LISTENED instead of LOOKED. We heard the breath of various orcas as they surfaced all around us ... "poooofft." We envisioned them fishing and traveling - and occasionally caught a view of one or two doing so! It all felt like a dream. Eventually we drove out of the fog, the sun began shining on our faces and we all smiled realizing that in fact it wasn't.
It's always something different out here in the islands. But you can't fight the weather and lets keep wildlife wild. So, we roll with the waves and enjoy the ride!
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Over and out,
Ashley, Naturalist
