American West Coast Expedition 2018 ORCA Wildlife Report - Silver Explorer

American West Coast Expedition 2018
                   ORCA Wildlife Report – Silver Explorer
Day 1: San Diego
We arrived on board the magnificent Silver Explorer in sunny San
Diego. After settling into our suite, we enjoyed meeting guests out
on deck for the sail away party and introducing ourselves and the
programme that we would be delivering on board. We were
excited for the voyage and the adventure that awaited us and
dinner we got an early night, ready for our first deck watch the
following morning.
Day 2: Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands
We woke up to a stunning sunrise, which rose over the Californian
mountains on our approach to Santa Cruz Island, a Marine
Protected Area. It wasn’t long before our first sighting, a small pod
                                                                      Anna and Lucy – your ORCA Whale Watchers
of bottlenose dolphins! Over the space of 15 minutes, we
recorded three pods of bottlenose dolphins, totalling seven
animals, including two dolphins which came into the ship to bow ride. A great start to the trip and a sign of great
things to come.
Looking into the sky, we observed brown pelicans, who guided us into our anchorage point. On the catamaran tender,
playful California sea lions surrounded the ship, splashing around whilst investigating us.

                                                    Brown pelican
Day 3: Monterey
Monterey is known worldwide for its incredible marine wildlife and it’s safe to say that it did not disappoint. We were
up on deck just before sunrise, to maximise our surveying time before anchoring. It wasn’t long before we started
seeing our first whale blows of the trip. As we approached these whales closer, we were able to identify them as
humpback whales, due to the two-tiered dorsal fin, located two-thirds of the way along the back and the characteristic
tail fluke being lifted into the air as these animals went for a deep dive. Two humpback whales (a mother and a calf)
passed close to the ship, giving guests up on deck with us an incredible view of these creatures. One guest had never
seen a whale before, a lifelong ambition for her, so this was a particularly exciting and special sighting and it was an
honour to have been part of this magical moment.

Charity No: 1141728                                                                       www.orcaweb.org.uk

The zodiac rides to shore also offered us the opportunity to encounter more marine wildlife, and you could see, hear
and smell hundreds of California sea lions, some playfully frolicking around in the sea, and many hauled out on the
breakwater, the piers and even the buoys. Sea otters were also sighted from the zodiacs, as well as harbor seals.

                                                 California sea lion

                                                    Harbor seal
After a fantastic day on shore in Monterey, we pulled up our anchor and were very excited about the evening ahead
at sea. Our first sighting was a sea otter almost immediately as we left Monterey! A large swell broke and suddenly
over 30 California sea lions erupted from the waves, surfing! It was a commotion of wildlife activity around the Bay
and it wasn’t long until we were out in deeper open ocean.

Charity No: 1141728                                                                    www.orcaweb.org.uk

Sea otter

                                              Surfing California sea lions
Splashes in the water alerted us to the presence of 4 Risso’s dolphins, which swam right past us on the starboard side.
Their blunt faces and white scarring were obvious as they swam past energetically.

                                    Risso’s dolphins alongside the Silver Explorer

Charity No: 1141728                                                                      www.orcaweb.org.uk

Whale blows appeared on the horizon and some large splashes, which got us all very excited and it was obvious that
these were some very active humpback whales. We observed a wide range of behaviours including pectoral fin-
slapping, tail-slapping and our first breaching whales! Little did we know at this stage that breaching humpback whales
would become a familiar sight throughout our voyage. We watched in awe as these huge ocean giants passed us by,
and we had a constant stream of humpback whale sightings all evening.
Our last sighting as the sun was setting was that of a humpback whale which came so close to the ship as it lifted its
tail fluke. A beautiful sunset ended our evening surveying.

                               Breaching humpback whale ahead of the Silver Explorer

                                                  Humpback whale

Charity No: 1141728                                                                      www.orcaweb.org.uk

Close humpback whale – note the hair follicle bumps on the rostrum (these are the same size as a golf ball!), and the
                                 double blow-hole, typical of all baleen whales

                                             Humpback whale tail fluke
Day 4: San Francisco
The Golden Gate Bridge emerging from the fog was our first sight for our morning deck watch – we don’t think we
have ever woken up to a more spectacular view. After minutes, harbor porpoises were sighted in the calm waters,
swimming in small pods around the ship. Then, a whale blow! Right on the starboard side as we were sailing towards
the Golden Gate Bridge. Two whale blows! A mother and a calf humpback whale. And then the calf breached
numerous times – a spectacular display. Guests were so busy watching the whales that we all nearly missed the sight
of sailing underneath the bridge! What a fantastic start to the day.

Charity No: 1141728                                                                     www.orcaweb.org.uk

Harbor seals and California sea lions were also sighted from the ship as we reached our berth in San Francisco. A lot
of the California sea lions sighted would certainly be those that we visited at Pier 39 later in the day.
We were also able to observe humpback whales from shore when we visited Point Bonita lighthouse. We could see
more than 8 whales from this fantastic vantage point on land. It was interesting to hear that the guides rarely sight
whales from the lighthouse, so we had obviously picked the best day to visit. Or perhaps they just did not know what
to look for (they needed to attend our surveying workshop!).

Tail-slapping humpback whale in the early morning light. Can you see the calf in the foreground next to the mother?

                                          Breaching humpback whale calf

                                            California sea lion at Pier 39

Charity No: 1141728                                                                     www.orcaweb.org.uk

Departing San Francisco that evening, we were hoping to spot some of the humpback whales that we had sighted
earlier from land. We couldn’t believe our luck when we saw yet another breaching humpback whale directly under
the Golden Gate Bridge as we sailed underneath it for the second time that day! We also sighted many harbor
porpoises, fast swimming across the bow of the Silver Explorer in front of the whales and creating quite a splash,
unusual for these normally unobtrusive cetaceans.
As we headed North, many more humpback whales were seen, again close to the ship and many far out on the
horizon. But it was a whale blow that we sighted right on the horizon that excited us the most. A huge plume of
water vapour was up in the air, dissipating slowly, hanging in the air for over 25 seconds – it must have been a blow
from a large whale…….much larger than a humpback whale. There were two whale blows, and as we got closer and
closer the excitement reached a peak when we were able to see the body of one of the animals – a blue whale! Its
companion was that of a fin whale, as we saw the characteristic ‘swept-back’ dorsal fin. Seeing the first and second
largest animals on the planet swimming side by side was quite a treat. These blows were tall and straight – certainly
not that of a humpback whale and it was great for guests to see the differences in the blows between species.
As we headed inside this evening with big smiles on our faces, we couldn’t wait for the sea day ahead of us.

              Harbor porpoises racing across the bow of the Silver Explorer and creating many splashes

                               Two humpback whales pass close to the Silver Explorer

Charity No: 1141728                                                                      www.orcaweb.org.uk

Breaching humpback whale underneath the Golden Gate Bridge

 Fin whale (left) and blue whale (right) blows – can you see just how much taller the blue whale blow is even though
                           the animal had exhaled at least 10 seconds before the fin whale?

Charity No: 1141728                                                                     www.orcaweb.org.uk

Fin whale
Day 5: Day at sea
Hurrah! A day at sea! Something us whale watchers always look forward to. We were blessed with calm seas and
clear skies for the whole day. It was a quiet start to the day, but the dolphins were just waiting until Lucy was in the
middle of her surveying workshop to show up. As Lucy was describing what to look for to identify dolphin species,
Pacific white-sided dolphins appeared in the bow wave as if on cue – sighted by an eagle eyed guest in the workshop
(well done, Sue!). Guests were able to observe the dolphins and go through the process of identifying them there and
then, already putting their newly learned surveying skills into practice.
A steady stream of whale blows on the horizon started to appear around mid-morning and continued throughout the
day. At times, the ORCA guides and guests would shout ‘whale blow!’, and all hands would point in different directions.
Everywhere you looked there were humpback whales, some within 100m of the ship. But our sightings came in waves
- sometimes there were dozens of whales around the ship and other times there was nothing. The majority of the
humpback whales observed today were mother and calf pairs, a great sign of a healthy whale population on their
northerly migration from warmer breeding grounds to rich Arctic feeding grounds.
If it’s possible, we started getting quite blasé about humpback whales and whale blows as they were simply
everywhere! But something a bit different caught our eye right on the bow – splashes and some animals moving very
quickly in the water. A quick flash of bright white and black was sighted on these animals and we were able to identify
them as Dall’s porpoises. These animals can swim up to 35km/hour, and are extremely good at twisting and turning
in the water, changing direction very quickly – a tricky animal to watch and even harder to photograph, but they gave
everyone a great show riding the pressure wave created as the ship sailed through the water!
There was an incredible array of bird life to see throughout the day too. Highlights included huge black-footed
albatross soaring effortlessly across the calm sea and the colourful tufted puffins that made us all smile.
In total today, we sighted an incredible 143 humpback whales on our first sea day!!

Charity No: 1141728                                                                       www.orcaweb.org.uk

The characteristic ‘rooster-tail’ splash of Dall’s porpoises

                                            Dall’s porpoise

                                            Tufted puffins

Charity No: 1141728                                                                  www.orcaweb.org.uk

Humpback whale mother (foreground) and calf (behind the mother)

                                              Humpback whale tail fluke

Day 6: Morning at sea and Columbia River, Astoria
We had a good few hours at sea before we approached the opening of the Columbia River and we were very pleased
to see a beautifully calm sea state 2 greeting us as we set up watch on Deck 6. More humpback whales, fin whales,
Pacific white-sided dolphins and Dall’s porpoises were sighted throughout the morning.
Another exciting sight in the sky was that of the pilot arriving by helicopter as we approached the Columbia River!
The locals informed us that they often see killer whales around the town of Astoria, who come into this area to feed
on the plentiful seals and sea lions. But alas, no killer whales had been seen for quite some weeks.
When guests arrived back from their excursion to Cannon beach, they were delighted to inform us that they had
sighted a gray whale from shore! The characteristic heart-shaped blow close to the shore line giving its location away.

Charity No: 1141728                                                                      www.orcaweb.org.uk

Calm seas approaching the Columbia River

                                    Pilot arriving by helicopter – very James Bond!
Day 7: Columbia River, Rainier
Despite being quite far up in the Columbia River, we still sighted plentiful wildlife today, including harbor seals and
bald eagles.
Day 8: Day at sea
A lot of guests ask us why on earth we get up so early……Well, today was one of those days where is pays to be out on
deck just before sunrise. We were not out on deck for long when we suddenly heard some ‘poofing’ sounds! Bow
riding dolphins! These dolphins were very distinctive, black in colour and with no dorsal fin. It was easy to identify
them as northern right whale dolphins!! A first species for both Lucy and Anna, so a great way to start a sea day.
As the sun rose in the sky and more guests woke up, we had lots of eager and enthusiastic guests join us out on deck
when we saw more dolphins right on the bow. A magnificent view of bow riding Pacific white-sided dolphins. We

Charity No: 1141728                                                                      www.orcaweb.org.uk

were able to observe these elegant creatures as they twisted and turned effortlessly, riding on the bow-wave. It also
gave the guests a great opportunity to observe the beautiful grey and white patterning on the flanks of these animals.

                    Pacific white-sided dolphins under the water at the bow of the Silver Explorer

                                       Pacific white-sided dolphins bow riding
It wasn’t long until the usual whale blows were sighted – some of these we were able to positively identify as
humpback whales, others being noted down as unidentified whales as we did not get a good enough view of the
animal to make a positive species identification. With whale blows all around us, some were so close that when they
breathed, you could smell their breath out on deck!! It is fair to say that it is quite a distinct odour.
An exciting morning, and it wasn’t even 10am yet! One of the most notable sightings of the trip was the spectacle of
a humpback whale. We saw this particular whale from the horizon, and everyone out on deck with us got to watch it
as it got closer and closer. Then suddenly, a breach! After consulting Captain Maggi, she carefully manoeuvred the
ship and slowed down to an almost stop to allow us to get an incredible view of this humpback whale, as it breached
over 8 times!! The sounds of the guests watching were those similar to watching a firework display with lots of ‘oooos’
and ‘ahhhs’ and the huge smiles and excitement across everyone’s faces was infectious.

Charity No: 1141728                                                                      www.orcaweb.org.uk

Breaching humpback whale

   Breaching humpback whale – this is the same whale as the one in the above and below photo, and each time it
                   breached it did so at a different angle which was an amazing sight for all

Charity No: 1141728                                                                  www.orcaweb.org.uk

Breaching humpback whale
As the day went on, more humpback whales kept us company on our voyage. We were hugging the continental shelf
edge, where ocean currents push up against the deep underwater cliff, creating huge nutrient upwellings. A few
Pacific white-sided dolphins started bow riding, so we radioed Kit and her and Captain Maggi decided that we could
slow down a little, in the hope that the dolphins would stay with us for even longer. We were even able to go down
on to the open bow of the ship to get a closer look. Some of these dolphins were tail slapping – a form of
communication to other dolphins in the area so we were hopeful that more animals may appear and all out on deck
put their cetacean spotting skills into practice in hope of spotting more dolphins.
Some of the guests stayed up on Deck 6 and they were our scouts. Suddenly, they started shouting ‘more dolphins at
1 o’clock’ and the ocean was bubbling with life as a huge pod of dolphins headed towards the bow. Thank you to Jeff
and Theresa for being our incredible dolphin spotters for this special encounter!
But it wasn’t just one species of dolphin – we soon saw some of the ‘black sausage dolphins’ – northern right whale
dolphins!! The waves exploded with surfing dolphins, and they all came into the ship and elegantly played in the
pressure wave that the Silver Explorer was creating. It was an incredible encounter that lasted for over 20 minutes,
and definitely a highlight of the voyage. A fur seal was sighted just moments after this commotion – another new
marine mammal species to add to our ever growing tally.
In total today, we sighted 136 individual marine mammals, comprising of seven different species – an absolutely
incredible day at sea!

                                            Pacific white-sided dolphin

Charity No: 1141728                                                                    www.orcaweb.org.uk

Pacific white-sided dolphins

  Northern right whale dolphins (centre, bottom) approaching the Silver Explorer with Pacific white-sided dolphins

Charity No: 1141728                                                                     www.orcaweb.org.uk

Northern right whale dolphin – the single blow-hole that all toothed cetaceans (Odontocetes) have is very clear to see

                                Northern right whale dolphins (Photo by Robin Aiello)

Charity No: 1141728                                                                      www.orcaweb.org.uk

Day 9: Port Angeles
Although the sailing times did not allow us to conduct deck watches on arrival to and departure from Port Angeles, we
still spotted harbor seals swimming around the ship throughout the day.
Day 10: Olympia
We enjoyed showcasing our round up presentation ‘Wine and Whales’ this evening to all the fantastic guests – or
friends as we would now call them, and we celebrated all of our wonderful wildlife encounters over a glass of wine.
But the voyage wasn’t over yet, and we were still hopeful for sightings on our last couple of days in the Pacific.
Day 11: Anacortes and Friday Harbour
Today we were sailing through waters well known for orcas, but as with all wildlife, nothing can ever be guaranteed.
All eyes were on the sea as we sailed from Anacortes to Friday Harbour, and we sighted many harbor porpoises, but
alas, no orcas. We did sight a huge male Steller’s sea lion hauled out on a buoy on our passage between Anacortes
and Friday harbour – a very impressive sight.

                Harbor porpoise – one of the many sighted whilst sailing through the San Juan Islands
In Friday Harbour we were able to visit the fantastic whale museum and learn more about the Southern resident killer
whales and transient killer whales that frequent these waters.
Day 12: Vancouver
We departed the Silver Explorer with fond memories of the incredible wildlife sighted throughout the voyage. We
hope you enjoyed the whale watching activities on board, and we hope to see you all on board again soon!
We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the crew, expedition team, the expedition Leader Kit, Captain Maggi
and all the wonderful guests that joined us on this voyage and helped us with our vital data collection work. We would
also like to thank Silversea for allowing us to undertake our surveying work on board.
ORCA is one of the UK’s leading whale and dolphin conservation charities, dedicated to the long-term protection of
whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans), and their habitats. For more information about us,
please visit our website www.orcaweb.org.uk

         For a map of all the marine wildlife seen and recorded during this voyage please see the next page.

Charity No: 1141728                                                                      www.orcaweb.org.uk

Charity No: 1141728   www.orcaweb.org.uk