Whale Watching
May 20th, 2016
Motoring from Port Sidney, British Columbia to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island in the San Juan Islands late one afternoon we came upon a pod of whales. It always seems to happen this way, an unexpected surprise as we motor along towards a cove or harbor. Rarely do we see whales when we are actually looking for them. We knew whales had to be close by when we spotted several tour boats bunched together bobbing in the water at idle speed. Piercing the water, the slender dorsal fin of a male Orca that measures up to six feet tall could be seen in the distance. As we approached closer, three female Orcas arced through the surface of the water near our bow, their wet skin glistening with black and white markings beautifully displayed. Once we were close enough, we put our motor into idle and stepped outside the pilothouse doors with binoculars in hand to watch and listen for these magnificent creatures.
Typically, whales move through the water in one direction and we follow behind at the recommended 100-yard distance, but this pod was behaving differently. Circling and frantically slapping the water with fins and flukes, it was as if they were herding a prey animal below. Three, four then five females would break through the surface, one after the other in a line. In the distance, the two males held the line closer to shore. Several times the male breached, his entire body flipping through the air. Another whale poked its head above the water to access the activity on the surface above, a term called spy spotting. The intense breathing echoed through the air each time the whales broke through the water. We could hear their voices too, thanks to a sonogram from a nearby tour boat. High-pitched noises, almost like a small child crying, were feverishly chattering, unrelenting.
Completely immersed in watching the whales, time stood still as we waited and watched, thrilled each time a whale appeared, as if we were seeing it for the first time. Though we drifted along the path of the whales for nearly fifty minutes it felt like no more than ten, so completely riveted by the animated hunt. As the sun dipped lower in the sky, we reluctantly broke away from the scene to find an anchorage for the evening in a nearby harbor. I sometimes wonder if I’ll ever tire of watching the whales, if they will become so familiar I stop noticing – I hope not, because when I watch them I feel transported to a place of wild wonder where nothing matters other than what’s happening in the moment and the air is electrified with the vibrancy of life.
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