The gentle juxtaposition of human and animal societies was poignantly proposed in the muted early morning light of Haro Strait. Newly arrived resident killer whale families foraged beneath the manmade beacon of light at Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island, Washington State. Awed silent human observers listened to rat-tat-tat puffs as black and white orcas surfaced in succession. Big-bladed males and rambunctious calves joined in focused dives feeding cooperatively on early season king salmon.
Sea Bird voyagers enjoyed the antics of thirty or more of these popular Southern Resident killer whales. Three well-documented fish-eating clans of orcas are pursued by whale-lovers throughout the summer, almost to the point of smothering. The Sea Bird however was all alone this morning in peace and solitude with the whales. A visit to the Whale Museum at Friday Harbor was that much more meaningful after the real-life experience in the living classroom. The serenity and serendipity of the early morning encounter helped set the tone for the beginning of a ten-day voyage in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast Alaska.
