November 28th - Fulford Reef whale (#94)

Dan and I went for an afternoon paddle out to Chatham Island. When we were at the top of Strongtide island, I saw a whale spouting out past the Fulford Reef buoy, so we paused to watch. eventually we saw that it was quite near Fulford reef and paddled out towards it. As we got closer, it became apparent that it was a gray whale (which I thought migrated away from this area over the winter?). We got close enough that we could clearly see that it had no dorsal fin and a very blotchy gray body. There was a sea lion sleeping on the buoy, a California sea lion came close while we were north of Chatham Island and then we saw some Steller sea lions in Baynes as we went back across. As well as all the marine mammals, we saw several mergansers, murres, and murrelets. A wonderful way to spend Friday afternoon. No wind to speak of and no rain and no complaints!

click to enlarge

11 km, YTD 984 km