September 5, 2011

On today's morning trip we rounded Ogden Point and headed east to look for activity on the water. We cruised through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and entered Haro Strait, a body of water that is half Canadian and half American territory. San Juan Island, WA is a favourite area for the Southern Resident population of killer whales to spend time hunting for salmon that are making their journey to the freshwater streams where they lay their eggs and then die. The many species of salmon runs provide food for a vast number of species including orcas, sea lions, eagles, bears, wolves, and many other species. Even trees use the nutrients from decomposing salmon as energy to grow. We started our search at Lime Kiln Park, the first and only state park established specifically for watching whales from land. We made our way along the shoreline south. Fog eventually blanketed the area, but we pressed on anyway, as whales do not discriminate against the fog. Unfortunately all the companies searched and search to no avail. We headed back to Victoria, stopping in at Chain Islands and Trial Island Lighthouse to check out the Harbour Seals making use of the sun to warm themselves out, as they laid on the rocks. Despite the absence of the whales, it was a lovely morning on the water.