We had a case of the “fun days” out on the Pacific Ocean on our Monday afternoon excursion.
We had our fingers crossed for a second orca sighting but no luck there, but we had an abundance of other wildlife.
There were red-necked phalaropes everywhere to be seen and sometimes congregating in groups over 100 individuals, which wasn’t surprising with the amount of food that was seen near the surface.
As we headed out towards deeper water, multiple flying fish were popping up while gliding in the air for 5-10-second bursts. We only get to see flying fish when the water gets warm, so it’s another perk of joining us on a late summer whale watch.
A large spout was seen to the south of us so we motored that direction where a large fin whale popped up right in front of us!
It kept us guessing where it would be seen next, keeping us on our toes.
Every time we tried to turn back to shore, it would pop up again, like a kid not wanting to leave the playground.
We got to see another fin out there, but this one was from a short-finned mako shark! It circled the boat, surfing the swell, giving everyone a clear look in the face of a wave.
These conditions usually are challenging to spot sharks, and it felt like a bonus.
-Naturalist Ruth
