Friday, August 5

Again today, we decided to build up the suspense and end the trip on a grand note. (If only we could plan that well....)  We passed by a group of harbor porpoises on our way out, and soon afterwards, spotted our first minke whale. This whale was only seen once before sneaking away. Next, we got one great look at Scar, the minke whale, who bears not just one big scar, but two scars! He came so close that we could see his linear scar just aft of his blowholes!  Unfortunately, due to user error, I wasn't able to get any photos of Scar today.  After spending a little time with a harbor seal, we checked out area after area, only to come up short-handed. Then, just as we were about to call it quits, mate Ryan spotted a big splash a couple miles behind the boat. A minke whale was breaching repeatedly!!  We got there just in time to see several breaches and some quick paced charging around by this very active whale. I have been watching whales for over 20 years and this was the best look I've had at a breaching minke!! 

So in spite of the long ride, our trip ended up to be a terrific success!