Day 2 - Whales, Whales & Sea Lions

The plan was for an early morning kayak for those so inclined, and a zodiac “cruise” for the rest of us. We were in “Home Bay” just off Princess Royal Island. It was cool and damp, with low grey clouds hiding the tops of the surrounding mountains, and a persistent wet mist that required wet weather gear for people and cameras.

Once on the zodiac, we went around a nearby point and stopped at a large kelp field. It was fascinating to learn about this and the Rock Weed (Fucus), a plant that grows along the rocks at the tide lines, and is used by the local First Nations people as a food and a medicinal food.

After yummy breakfast, we were on our way to find whales and Stellar sea lions. We saw whale blows ahead - yay! More humpbacks, at least 6, near a small island.

A mother and calf took an interest in us while a group of sea lions in the water, popped their heads up from time to time to see what was happening. The humpbacks played around us, rising up to the surface with their characteristic blow, then sinking down to feed. They went around and around the yacht, moving away a little, then coming closer, and going underneath. There must have been something very appetising under us!

After lunch we hopped into the Zodiacs to visit small rocky islands where Stellar’s sea lions live – always smelly, and very noisy, warning each other of our presence. It’s impossible to arrive quietly in a zodiac, although we always do our best to not get too close.

One of the reasons for “visiting” was to check on one animal that had something around its neck – perhaps strapping from packaging. Even from a distance you could see that it really was tight, and since the sea lion kept its head quite vertical, it was probably quite painful too. Emily confirmed that she would radio the local authorities to advise them that this was still a problem – hopefully they can tranquilise the animal safely, and then remove the strapping.

Back on our yacht, we were now motoring towards our evening anchorage – this would turn out to be many more hours away than planned, due to two sightings that we just had to check out.

The first was a set of very large whale blows off in the distance – fin whales, perhaps 6-8? These are the 2nd largest mammal in the world (blue whales are the largest), and they have been repopulating the areas we were now in. They have a characteristic very high blow, while their bodies stay low in the water. Moving very fast, and changing direction frequently, it’s difficult to get close. We saw some within 400mm lens range and watched, fascinated, as they started to dive, taking much, much longer than humpbacks for their spines to curve upwards and the whale to sink beneath the waves. It was wonderful to have two sets of fin whale sightings in one afternoon!

Everyone had now settled back to check photos, read and generally relax. We had stopped briefly in the middle of the Strait where Brian met a local fisherman, and bought a bucket of his daily catch – very healthy Dungeness crab that I spied while I was in the cockpit chatting to Mark. This would be tomorrow night’s dinner.

As we started to move away, Mark yelled “breach!” I turned to see the large splash of a humpback whale as it fell back into the sea. Then we then saw it slapping one pectoral fin against the surface, over and over. This was an active humpback whale that we just had to investigate! Soon everyone was back on deck, watching the pectoral fin slapping as we came within the allowed 100m distance.

And then the most amazing thing happened. The pectoral fin slapping stopped, and the whale came to us. For the next hour it played with us. First it swam up to the yacht to port (left side), then dived down well below the surface, blowing whale “blow/breath” over those of us leaning out over the side – fishy halitosis maximised!

Then it surfaced again to starboard, watched us for a moment, and then dived. Back and forth it went from one side to the other, and we did the same on the bow & stern, walking back and forth, back and forth.

After maybe 15 minutes, we could see it roll upside down, the white undersides of the pectoral fins and tail very visible below the surface. Sometimes its head would surface, the bumps and lumps that humpbacks have, highly visible. At one point as it swam upside down under us, and then turned to come up on the port side, I could see its left eye, looking at us from under the water – I don’t think my photo shows this, but will check it closely.

Then it started to spy-hop – raising its head vertically above the surface, presumably to see more. Orca do this frequently – humpbacks less so, but this one repeated it many times. It was so curious - as were we. What was this very large mammal thinking?

After nearly an hour it started to move away, first doing a shallow dive, coming back up and then going deeper and out of our sight. We watched, hoping for a farewell breach – but our wishes were not granted … this time.

It was a truly magical hour that none of us had ever experienced before. A giant of the ocean, keeping us engaged, perhaps trying to learn a little more about the people that inhabit the surface. Whatever the reason, it is wonderful to have the trust of an animal in this way.

We finally anchored at around 10pm – a very late night for the crew, and a fantastic day for us all!