A lone Orca peaks its head above
the water with Mount Baker in the
background. The scenery of the San
Juan ecosystem is breathtaking. Below,
timeless photographs such as this one
are only a click away.
tour with one of the many whale watching tour companies.
An important piece of information to
remember on whale watching trips is to
always follow any advice or orders given
out by the wildlife-viewing guide. Each
whale watching crew member is highly
enriched with scientific knowledge, so
they can answer just about any question
a person may have relating to whale bi-
46
ology, migratory behavior, foraging habits, and whale communication. Recent
scientific search published by marine
biologists have determined that certain
viewing distances must be obeyed and
respected as to not interfere with the
explore:NW | The Official Magazine for kenmore air | Summer 2016
whale’s behavior. Although viewing
distances vary year to year, guidelines
change periodically as predetermined by
the latest scientific research on whale
behavior and ecology. Whale viewing
distances are typically geographical-specific. Depending on your location in the
San Juan Islands, the ongoing viewing
vessel will achieve distances no closer
than 100 meters in Canadian waters
and 200 feet in US waters.
With the conclusion of winter
doldrums in the process, a common
habit during leisure time after dinner
is to briefly scan through brochures
to preplan that summer vacation of a
lifetime. As you page through brochures,
visit online websites for literature and
information on preplanning a summer
getaway for the family, pause momentarily and think about the world of
whale watching. We are at a moment
in time in which the intense efforts
of whale conservation from the 1970s
and 1980s have allowed for these large,
gracious mammals to return to healthy,
sustainable levels. Their aerial display of
power, magical sense of communication,
and the marine kingdom they inhabit
are three reasons to visit the San Juan
Islands. The feeling of breathing in the
red cedar-infested air cleanses the soul
while a brisk easterly breeze slowly lowers your body temperature and makes
you feel alive. It is by some indescribable sense of feeling that viewing these
large creatures is a once-in-a-lifetime
spectacle that needs to be experienced.
As the great writer Norm Maclean
stated in the iconic novel, “A River Runs
Through It”, “we are haunted by waters.”
It is from this perspective, that it is our
obligation to travel the ends of the earth
to explore what is beneath its surface.
The San Juan Islands abundant biodiversity of whales and other marine life
offers a uniqueness that attracts nature
lovers year after year to return to this
productive ecosystem to bask in the
world of whale watching.