We had a wonderful day onboard the Odyssey today with families from all around the US celebrating Mother’s Day. We were treated to a special encounter when 2 humpback whales were feeding in the San Juans on their way north to Alaska. It appeared to be a mom and offspring, judging by the size of the larger humpback and how closely the two traveled, almost touching one another as they surfaced. A magical moment for sure when their flukes would rise out of the water and we could see underneath their flukes! Did you know that these whales are identified by researchers from their unique shapes and color patterns they have on their flukes? We took pictures today, so maybe we’ll be able to find out more about these whales. There is a website with a catalog of humpbacks that one can try to match their photos with. http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/abl/humpback/JuneauCatalog.htm These whales travel from Maui to Alaska!
Our other wildlife experiences were as magnificent as our whale encounter in their own way… bald eagles, stellar sea lions, harbor seals and of course, the exotic game animals that are on Spieden Island. We enjoyed sharing this day with all the mother’s of the earth! Debbi Fincher, Naturalist