Surfski Knowledge Base

watsonpilates
03/23/08 #4199

Today was an affirmation to me that I live in one of the most amazing locations in the world.

The day began when LeAnne and I loaded our boats and gear before dawn and headed to South Whidbey Island. The wind was howling and the rain was pretty steady, and we had no idea what conditions awaited us. The night before we had talked about heading down to check out a tip from a friend of LeAnne's who lives in Langley and mentioned that gray whales had moved into the area. This friend is a rather magical fellow, and was able to also tell us that if we headed to a point 200 feet of Camano Island at 8:44 the whales would be waiting for us. Good enough for us.

We launched from Langley at 8:30 or so and headed towards Camano Island, crossing what I believe is know as the Saratoga Passage. We could see white caps in the middle of the channel, and were not sure if it was within our capabilities. Definitely was the largest conditions I have yet encountered. We made it about half way there when Leanne suggested we turn around and surf back a bit, so I could be sure of my skills before we got into a situation beyond me. Well, the surfing was good and the biggest waves I have been in yet. LeAnne has done more, and was really comfortable. I was definitely experiencing uncharted territory. My rudder jammed and we decided to go back to shore so I could fix it. We also decided that it was foolish to try to paddle to Camano, as I had found the previous 30 minutes to be challenging, and it was obviously much bigger further out. So, we decided that we would just paddle up along Whidbey Island, staying close to shore and practicing in some tricky current. Fixed the rudder and off we went. After about 10 minutes of easy paddling I said to LeAnne, “Wouldn't it be amazing if the whales just showed up in front of us?” And she said, “Yes, Carolyn, that would be amazing.” And in about 5 seconds we saw a fin. A really big fin.

In front of us two mature gray whales (big!!) were in shallow water, maybe 15-20 feet, feasting on sand shrimp. They would roll on their sides, suck up shrimp,and then blow out the sand. We saw all the good stuff: fluking, their bodies rolling up and out of the water,and even a bit of their heads. We sat in calm water, giving them some space, and watched them for about 30 minutes. We were close enough that we could smell them (super briny shrimpy smell) and hear the incredible noises of their feast. They didn't seem to care that we were there, and only seemed to bothered when a motor boat came by, at which point they moved on and we headed in.

It is hard to put the magnificence of the experience into words, but suffice it to say it was the greatest outdoor moment of my life. It also affirmed that sometimes the greatest rewards come by not pushing limits and moving into fearful situations, but by respecting conditions and honestly assessing the skill level of the group. In this case, LeAnne did a great job of predicting when I would reach my limits. I did move into a bit of unchartered territory, but just took a little bite. And interestingly enough, it was when we let go of the “goal” of seeing a whale, that we found them.

A big day, on so many levels. When I told the story to my 10-year old daughter she said, “Well, Mom, the whales didn't like the waves either. And LeAnne's friend gave you advice to put you in sync with whales. That's why you both ended up in the same place.” Seems so simple through a child's eyes.

Carolyn Watson

Whidbey Whales
lori & beau whitehead
03/23/08 #4200

We saw the same whales from a friends cabin near Langley on Friday afternoon, in Saratoga Passage. Awesome that someone paddled with them. I was wishing I had my paddle board with me.