August 10th Update (Julie)
Snorkeling With Salmon
Hi everyone! I hope all is well with all of you. Well, Matt & I tried yet another new experience a week ago, that is, snorkeling in the Campbell River (Vancouver Island, B.C) with the spawning salmon. Matt was excited for this new experience and I was a bit hesitant. The thought of potentially huge fish touching me was not something I wanted to experience. I saw Matt's excitement and didn't want to be the wet blanket, so away we went. We had to get fitted into wetsuits which I thought would be pretty cool since I had never been in one before. I knew that wetsuits would be pretty snug, but when Matt and the owner hung onto the wetsuit with me in it and held it over their heads to fit me into this toddler size wetsuit, it brought on a whole new meaning of snugness to me. I actually felt a bit nauseas after the whole struggle to get into this tiny suit!
After a brief instruction in snorkeling, we set off down the river. This whole experience was not a natural one for me but when I finally relaxed and stopped fighting the river, it got a little more enjoyable... until the rapids. The rapids were fast and loud. My gloves were falling off, my snorkel filled up with water and our instructor was yelling at Matt & I to move somewhere else to avoid potential treacheries. If that was not enough, I couldn't hear our instructor because my ears were plugged up and I was desperately trying to breathe and avoid hitting the huge boulders which the river was throwing my way. After the rapids ceased, I was able to get myself organized again and concentrate on watching the salmon. It was pretty cool to see the huge schools of salmon swimming upstream. Towards the end of the run, we saw a harbour seal chasing the salmon nearby. After the first run down the river we got back onto the bus and headed upstream for the second run. By this time the suit had been squeezing me tight for too long and nature was calling (and once down the river suited me just fine). I would definitely snorkel again, preferably in the warm ocean, but river rapids snorkeling might have been a little too much for me for my first snorkeling experience.
Telegraph Cove and Robson Bight
A few years ago Matt and I bought a book called "Orca: A Whale Named Killer" after our whale watching expeditions off of the San Juan Islands near Seattle. The book named several places which had no meaning to us, until now. On our way up to Port Hardy, B.C. where we would catch a ferry up to Alaska, we stopped at Telegraph Cove for the night. The book talked about the largest killer whale population being around this area as well as boasting the only killer whale sactuary in the world. We hopped onto a whale watching expedition and once again, we were not disappointed. We encountered about 15 whales and they hung out around Robson Bight for an hour or so. Robson Bight is a protected area where the whales go to rub themselves on the rocks on the shallow bottom. There were a few playful and curious whales who swam around our boat and turned sideways under the water to check us out. We saw a couple of breaches, where the whale thrusts itself out of the water and flops on its side, creating a huge splash. One of the breaches was about 30 feet off of out boat. There was only one lucky woman who caught this on film (yes, I am a bit jealous!). There was also a lot of spyhopping going on, where the top third of the whale comes out of the water to take a look at its surroundings. Researchers say that their keen eyesight is just as good out of the water as it is under the water. We also saw some of the whales lobtailing, where they flop their tail on top of the water several times. This was my fourth time on a whale watching cruise and I am always so moved by the experience. To see these beautiful and intelligent creatures in the wild is amazing! They are so complex and human-like in many of their ways. We were saddened when we learned that one of the resident pods on the south side of Vancouver Island lost 7 whales this winter and it is very possible that this pod will die off due to pollution from boat traffic and ocean dumping. They also don't mate with the other pods in the area, but that goes far beyond the scope of this update. :) Anyway, whale watching is a career that I could get into!
On the way up the Inside Passage up to Alaska, we encountered some humpback whales. These whales are bigger and more elusive than the killer whales. They are cool to watch because when they exhale, their "spout" of mist extends 10 feet into the air, making it fairly easy to spot them across a fairly long distance. They would usually "spout" about 4 times to regulate their breathing and then go down for a deep dive, where you could then see them hump their back (thus their name :) ) and then see their large fluke, or tail. They are a majestic creature to watch and we probably had the opportunity to see about 20 whales on our ferry journey.
We also got to see Dall's porpoises, which look like a smaller version of killer whales. They are speedy and athletic. There were a few that raced from across the fjord to ride the wake of the ferries. They are very fun to watch even though I always get nervous that they are going to get chopped up by the propellor of the ship. Luckily, no such incidences occurred, and yes, Matt thinks I'm crazy for thinking such things. :)
Well, that's it for this update. Hopefully I will have another wildlife update after our kayaking trip in a week and a half. In the meantime, keep watching the Animal Planet channel. Au revoir!