Last Thursday was an absolutely perfect day on the water. The air was warm and sweet, the water was calm, and the guests were eager! I personally love guiding with kids because they seem to understand my enthusiasm and are filled with wonder. So when we arrived to pick up our guests at the ferry terminal, we split them in the groups and I took the kiddos. We sat and watched the juvenile Bald Eagle tip toe to the edge of his nest, debating whether or not it was time to fly yet. It ended up being a, "No, not today... maybe tomorrow, Mom." Then we slid past the Peregrine Falcon nest and watched the downy feathers flutter down the cliff side as those chicks begin to grow into their new feathers. As we were about to head into Deadman's Bay for lunch, the moment that I have been waiting for arrived. Looking like an upside-down surfboard, a Minke Whale popped up just 40 yards from our kayak. We hugged the rocks by the lighthouse and just watched him go by, feeding on plankton and herring by taking giant swallows through the sea and pushing the water through his baleen. Oh, and then the orcas came. J-pod wanted to remind us that these are their waters too and the calves wanted to jump and play by the kelp beds. We sat in front of the lighthouse for about an hour watching another Minke and then more orcas go by. A paddle and a show! On the way back to the County Park, the Minke returned for an encore, gliding swiftly through the water.
On Sunday, a group of Outdoor Adventure Women, the Executive Director of Sea Quest, and I were paddling back from an overnight trip on Stuart Island. The trip had gone excellently, though had been quite a struggle against the tides at certain points. A little stiff and sore from the fourteen-mile paddle on Saturday, we poured ourselves into our boats Sunday morning and geared up for another day on the water. Paddling out of the campsite in Reid Harbor is most delightful, as the long bay provides clear and calm waters and an occasional Great Blue Heron or Osprey at which to gander. But once freed from the safe confines of the harbor, the real fun begins. Spieden Channel is an open water crossing that can take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes of sustained paddling, depending on the tides and winds. It can be a river in the right direction or a grueling fight to the end. On this day, we entered the channel just before the tides were turning and felt a slight ebb (a good thing) turning into a slack period (basically a time of confusion in the ocean as it sends all the water back to from where it came). The women were warriors, and although they were already tired, pressed on with power and endurance. We accomplished the crossing, passing Danger Shoal and Battleship Island to our east. Martine, the Executive Director, decided to push around Kellet Bluff before the current started going north against us with the flood tide. So we pointed our boats and charged. But as we glanced around the corner of Henry Island, a few boats started to bob past the point. Not just any boats though; these were whale watching boats. And they sure were watching whales. From about a little less than a mile away, we could see the dorsal fins of orcas gliding past the point. Then, the dorsal fins curved around the point and started heading straight towards us. Having just finished the majority of the crossing but not quite in the safety of shore yet, we rafted up and waited. The whales approached closer and closer. 500 yards away. Then 200 yards away. Then 100 yards away… a few females blew right past us, about 20 yards to the right of our kayaks, misting the air with their exhales. We had seen a bull (male) in the distance and his path was directed straight towards us. We waited quietly for his next breath while holding our own. WHIIPPPSHHH! Literally 15 feet from my kayak, the orca saddled through the water, smooth and shining in the sunlight. The size of the creature was astounding and it moved with such force. With just a few beats of its fluke it cleared a great distance. It was an overwhelming and humbling experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment