"Umm, no."
They are wild animals. They follow their food source. They can travel 70 to 100 miles in a day. They don't travel in a straight line. They don't have "a route" that they always travel.
And sometimes, they simply go away. It has been almost a week since there have been any Southern Resident Killer Whales anywhere in the area. But, today, we had a report. It wasn't a great report for the boat I was driving, because they were out of the typical range of that boat.
I looked at the tide/current charts. I estimated the speed and direction of travel from the reports I was getting. If everything aligned perfectly, I could get our guests to the whales. This was a "perfect timing" for our departure from this side of the island: I would have the current giving me a push on the way south... and then the current giving me a push to the north on the way back. Honestly, that almost never happens. The currents are still running fast due to the Summer Solstice and the moon phase.
I visited with the guests, showed them on the chart what my plan was, then asked... "Do you have any scheduled plans, like dinner reservations or catching a plane or the ferry this evening."
No. They wanted to see whales and were excited that this could work. I was delighted that it all came together... it could have all gone in the dumper, but we made the right moves. When we were about 30 minutes away, I got a report that the whales had turned south... not good for us, but at that point, I was committed. Then, 10 minutes later, another report that they had turned northeast... the best direction for us!
When the guests first saw the whales, there were screams, shouts, and pointing. They were giddy... I was relieved. It was L-Pod, and the viewing was good...
When I told the naturalist it would be "last looks," we swung the boat north... and the currents were with us again. The Strait of Juan de Fuca was blessedly near-calm. Haro Strait was mellow. Other than a freighter who tossed one heck of a wake, the ride was smoooooooth.
Working the currents made this trip possible. I think I may hold the record for taking this boat the furthest at the fastest speed, now. ;-) And that was running at our normal cruise RPM. Good timing. Good guests. Cooperative weather. And... whales!
One family had 5 kids and this was the culmination of their trip to this area. They really wanted their kids to be able to see the whales. And, I think they understood that our crew wanted it as much as they did. Hearing those kids scream with delight... yeah, I totally get it!
:-)
I love it when a plan comes together.
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