Day 6, September 15th, 2018. On one hand, today was one of the greatest days of my life. I volunteered on one whale watch and two shark cage dives. During the final cage dive, a four-meter female great white hit the bait several times. It was an honor to briefly share the ocean with this animal. I tried my best to record it underwater, but no footage can display the shark’s strength and grace as it glided through the water.
On the other hand, today is heartbreaking. It is believed that J50, one of the critically endangered Southern resident killer whales, passed away somewhere off the coast of Washington or British Columbia. There are only 74 SRKWs remaining and, with each individual’s passing, the probability of extinction increases. The SRKW population was decimated by the captive whaling industry in the 1960s. Currently, the main threats to their survival are a lack of Chinook salmon (their primary food source), pollution, and increased vessel traffic. See this link for more information on J50: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/search-for-orca-j50-continues-dead-or-alive/
Phone Keys Snorkel 