T46's Entering Juan de Fuca

Today we left the harbor and headed for Puget Sound to see the T46’s entering Juan de Fuca Strait.

I had a shore-based sighting that said they were very far off posted 3 minutes earlier. To me, that meant mid strait or further. I sat and scanned for a bit and then began a search pattern. I eventually ended up combing the beaches of Whidbey Island. As I made my way north we found them 300 yards from shore. I consider that to be close to shore but the perspective of distance on the water can be very tricky.

We enjoyed a good bit of time with them as they did their surface breathing. They were doing fairly long dive times but were consistent for the most part in their chosen course. We saw lots of porpoises but nobody rang the dinner bell today.

We also saw Rhinoceros Auklet, a cousin to the Puffin which we also saw on our way back. I stopped off to share views of Stellar Sea Lions and their massive bodies.

The water was smooth and it was a great day to be out there.