Seals basking on rock outcrops. A Minke whale in Griffin Bay. A Stellar sea lion wrestling with an OCTOPUS? Yes at Cattle Pass. Harbor porpoise on the port side! The sea lion won. Then off to Hein Bank to view a Humpback whale. One single humpback lazily coming up for air, then a 5 minute dive – going to Victoria.
What a day.
Another busy day on the water with all the familiar faces of the Salish Sea. In addition to watching Transient Killer Whales south of D’arcy Island, British Columbia (48°30.86N, 123°16.48W), we also came across a lone California Sea Lion (a rarity in the Salish Sea). He was floating with just his head, hind flippers, and one pectoral flipper out of the water, a strategy sea lions use to regulate their body temperature in these frigid 48°F waters. On our way home we picked up a large pod of Dall’s Porpoises. When Captain Craig slowed the boat to 7 knots, we watched their “rooster tail” splashes as they turned to converge on our bow. We were all in awe as we watched their chunky bodies of solid muscle zig zag around our bow and then breach to the side for a quick breath before taking another pass across our wake. I could watch those critters all day!
There were fewer Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out on Whale Rocks today, but more were milling in the water. We were impressed by a few individuals that were breaching completely out of the water.
As was the case for yesterday, the Transients we observed stayed in a tight, slow-moving formation as they performed approximately 5 minute foraging dives. We tried our best to parallel the group as they made their way in a southerly direction toward Victoria; however, after one long dive they popped up right alongside our boat. We shut down and listened to them breath and prepare for their next stealth dive. There were quite a few sport fisherman out on Salmon Bank today and we saw a few Harbor Seals emerge with fat salmon in their mouths. If the salmon are running, the Southern Residents Orcas may be close behind!
Naturalist Andrew
San Juan Safaris Whale Watching
The Salish Sea was once again teeming with marine mammals and seabirds. September is definitely proving to be my favorite month of the season; the scenery is breathtaking, the weather is gorgeous, and there seems to be a superabundance of wildlife taking advantage of these very productive waters.
As we cruised through the San Juan Channel and Cattle Pass we saw a number of Harbor Seals and Steller Sea Lions. The Steller Sea Lions seemed especially curious, pausing to take long looks at us before they continued their foraging efforts.
Roughly 1.5 miles offshore of San Juan Island near Salmon Bank we found a Minke Whale (48°25.39N, 122°59.35W). The Minke Whale was busy foraging, zigzagging over the bank in search for its next gulp of small schooling fish. The whale even surprised us by surfacing 100 yards from the stern of the vessel!
Having heard reports of Dall’s Porpoise in the area we next motored towards Middle Bank where we saw over a dozen Dall’s Porpoise working the rip tides. As we cruised by the Dall’s Porpoise, several of them decided to take a short break from foraging to surf the bow wave. We were all mesmerized as their black and white bodies darted and zipped back and forth across our bow only surfacing for a split second to catch a breath of air.
As we began our return to Friday Harbor, Captain Mike spotted 3 Humpback Whales near Eagle Point (48°27.40N, 123°02.59W). We initially only saw what we thought was 1 Humpback Whale then we saw 2 surface at the same time; a mother and a calf. Then, the next thing we knew a third individual was at the surface! We turned off our engines to watch these majestic beasties and listen to their powerful exhales. The whales were initially traveling east before they dove and changed direction turning south and heading right for us. With our engines already off and the animals within 100 yards we waited for the Humpback Whales to travel by. I later apologized to all of our guests who were videotaping the whales because my squeals and giggles of delight could be heard echoing throughout the vessel. :D
One final stop at Whale Rocks concluded our trip. Here we saw over 30 Steller Sea Lions sprawled out over the island. Most of these bachelors seemed to be enjoying their afternoon siestas but several others were causing a raucous that resulted in very vocal, verbal disagreements.
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
Cruising south through San Juan Channel we encountered a number of marine mammals and seabird species. Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, and Steller Sea Lions were all taking advantage of the abundance of prey along with the Glaucous-winged Gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Cormorants.
Upon entering Cattle Pass the beautiful island setting was blanketed by a layer of fog providing a chilly and eerily exciting ambiance to our tour. Even before we could see the Steller Sea Lions we could hear their grumbles echoing through the cloudy mist. Then, through the haze we finally saw these massive animals! Over 15 Steller Sea Lions were spread out over the rocky shores of Whale Rocks. Another 7 Steller Sea Lions had formed a raft and were alternating lifting their flippers out of the water as if they were performing a synchronized swimming routine.
Next, roughly ¼ mile offshore of San Juan Island between Pile Point and Hannah Heights we found a Minke Whale (48°28.45N, 123°06.48W)! The Minke Whale seemed extra curious today coming in for a closer look as it circled the stern of the vessel. Such a rare treat for this normally shy and elusive animal.
Our tour ended with a visit to Spieden Island where we viewed dozens of the Mouflon Sheep, Sika Deer, and Fallow Deer. Followed by a stop at O’Neal Island in Rocky Bay where we saw a mature Bald Eagle!
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
Although the beautiful, sunny skies were replaced by clouds and grey skies today, our spirits were not dampened; we were all equipped with a sense of adventure and eager to spend the afternoon exploring the Salish Sea. And, we were not disappointed.
Within minutes of departing Friday Harbor and entering the San Juan Channel we were rewarded with a large, male Steller Sea Lion enjoying his lunch. The Sea Lion would emerge with a fish in his mouth, aggressively thrash the fish about at the surface, tearing bits of meat off the carcass, and send the fish remains flying. He would then retrieve the fish and repeat his foraging routine.
As we cruised along Spieden Island, we saw dozens of the exotic Mouflon Sheep and Fallow Deer. And as we turned the corner of Sentinel Island, over 30 Harbor Seals were crammed on a small rocky outcrop, enjoying a relaxing afternoon.
Our journey continued along Stuart Island where we had our first sightings of Killer Whales! Over 20 Southern Resident Killer Whales were spread out between Haro Strait, Spieden Channel, and Stuart Island. The whales were initially headed north before they changed direction and began to travel east through New Channel.
We were surrounded by whales; they were seen in all directions. Among the whales we identified Scoter (K25) and Cali (K34), Scoter’s younger brother. Also, we identified Onyx (L87) another large male born in 1992. Although the whales seemed to be spending most of their time foraging or traveling, a few individuals were performing aerial displays: breaching, lobtailing, and pec-slapping. With so many whales in the area and the flat calm waters we decided to drop the hydrophone, an underwater microphone, to see if we could hear the whales vocalizing. While sitting with our engines off listening to the whales exhale at the surface and vocalize and echolocate from below, a group of four whales changed direction and came in for a closer look. We were mesmerized as the whales traveled along the port side of the vessel, while their vocalizations echoed throughout our boat.
Boy, my job sure is amazing!
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
Today’s tour was a bit different than usual, yet so refreshing! With no whale reports since the night before, we took our tour to the inner islands.
Sure the San Juan Islands are home to one of the most charismatic animals in the world, the Killer Whale, but that is not the only thing that makes them beautiful. Often times the inner beauties of these islands are overlooked, but today we allowed our guests to discover these beauties. We toured along Flattop Island, the Cactus Islands, through Johns and Stewart Island, then into Canada to see Moresby and Mandarte Island, and back into the U.S. to finish with Spieden Island.
The abundance of wildlife inhabiting these islands and the channels between is nothing short of remarkable, including those we saw today such as dozens of Harbor Porpoise, dozens upon dozens of Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles, Cormorants, Sika Deer, Fallow Deer, Mouflon Sheep, Great Blue Heron, Gulls of all shapes and sizes, and Steller Sea Lions.
Animals aside, these islands standalone in their natural beauty. Glaciation has carved this area into one of the most majestic places on earth; the geology, the vegetation, simply awe-inspiring.
And if you haven’t seen enough then consider this, there are hundreds of islands that make up the San Juans and every island has a story of its own. From the coastal Sammish, to the Spaniards, to a one room school house, no plumbing, no electric, to the richest of summer homes, to marine state parks, to national wildlife refuges, to a war almost started over a Pig, to even owning an island yourself. These islands are something worth seeing and we can give you this experience.
Naturalist Tara, San Juan Safaris
We had reports of Transient Killer Whales near Victoria, B.C. today. When the animals are reported this far away we do have to do a bit of traveling but fortunately the Killer Whales were traveling east and headed our direction.
As we were motoring through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to reach the whales we saw 5 Dall’s Porpoise. The Dall’s Porpoise were actively foraging in the highly productive region. After a few minutes of viewing these animals we continued on our way when we spotted a Minke Whale! The Minke Whale surfaced twice before diving. We knew the whale would be down for several minutes so again we continued on our journey but, it was only a matter of minutes when we came across a number of Harbor Porpoise. The Harbor Porpoise were also taking advantage of the abundance of prey and were actively foraging. Then, it wasn’t much further before we spotted the Transient Killer Whales!
There were 8-9 whales headed north between Middle Bank and Discovery Island (48°23.02N, 123°12.54W). This was a rather large group for the Transient Killer Whales who are known to be very stealthy and elusive. Initially the whales were traveling in a tight group but as we continued watching them they began to spread out and form two smaller groups. They were still traveling within close range of each other; one group of whales was only a few body lengths ahead of the other group. On two different occasions we saw several of the whales circling and diving in a small area while several seagulls were swooping in from above…it turns out the Killer Whales were having a late lunch evident by the remains of what we suspect were Harbor Porpoise, based on our earlier sightings, floating at the surface. When it was time to head back to Friday Harbor the Transient Killer Whales had once again formed a tighter group and were traveling in close proximity of one another.
Then it was time to return to Friday Harbor but just because we were leaving the whales didn’t mean the tour was over. On the way back we saw several more Harbor Porpoise and a number of Harbor Seals. At Whale Rocks over 30 Steller Sea Lions were littering the island, sprawled out and resting or walking about and grumbling at each other. While another 6 Steller Sea Lions had decided to take a dip in the frigid, 48 F waters.
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
Once again, it was beautiful day in the San Juan Islands with bluebird skies and flat calm waters. And, the Salish Sea was teeming with wildlife and seabirds.
In the San Juan Channel and Cattle Pass we saw Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, Steller Sea Lions, and a number of different seabird species. Here the tide is funneled through Lopez Island and San Juan Island creating upwelling. Eager for a meal, marine mammals and seabirds congregate in this area, taking full advantage of the abundance of prey. Marine mammals are intelligent animals and focus their efforts in areas where food tends to be predictable and abundant. Sure seemed like they were having a feast.
Further south a Minke Whale was also busy foraging in the highly productive waters over Salmon Bank, evident by the 100’s of seabirds attacking a number of different bait balls of fish! The Minke Whale was unusually cooperative, surfacing every few minutes and providing excellent views and photographic opportunities. This Minke Whale was definitely not a “sneaky Minke” today!
On our return to Friday Harbor we saw another 15 Harbor Seals, packed in like sardines on Mummy Rocks where a mature Bald Eagle perched above overlooking the scene as if playing “King of the Mountain.” Then we swung by Whale Rocks where over 20 Steller Sea Lions were either swimming, resting, or visibly arguing over prime haul-out territory.
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours
What a fabulous day on the water! We started the trip off with an abundance of wildlife as we made our way through San Juan Channel. We saw dozens upon dozens of Harbor Seals hauled out, sun bathing on any rocky islet available and bobbing through the riptides in search of food. We also saw three Steller Sea Lions swimming amongst the riptides, what seemed to be another marine mammal thanksgiving!
Once we reached Haro Strait we encountered our first Minke Whale just south of Salmon Bank about a mile offshore of San Juan Island (48°25.00N 122°56.00W). We watched it surface a few times and then all of a sudden another Minke popped up right across our bow. Soon after, a third surfaced on our starboard side. Once we were surrounded, we cut off our engine and simply watched. Surprisingly the Minkes weren’t being very mysterious, instead they were being extremely active! They came up multiple times by our boat, allowing us to hear their blows and see the full extent of their 30-35 ft long bodies and they were lunging like crazy showing us their full rostrum and stealing away the food from any birds in sight.
The Minkes were surprising, the birds went flying, and the people were smiling!
On our way back in we visited the Bald Eagles nest and the Steller Sea Lions hauled out on Whale Rocks. They too were enjoying the sun, about 15+ of them out basking away, and about 5 or so playing around in the water.
Another great day full of wildlife and whales!
Naturalist Tara, San Juan Safaris
Our day began with Harbor Seals! As usual they were taking advantage of the beautiful weather and having a snooze while soaking up the sunshine.
We then motored south through the San Juan Channel where we saw a number of marine mammal and seabird species including Harbor Porpoise, Steller Sea Lions, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Cormorants, Harbor Seals, and a plethora of Gulls. These animals were most likely foraging in this highly productive area.
As we cruised south to look for Minke Whales, Captain Mike found a Northern Elephant Seal! SO COOL! However, when the seal dove we decided to continue our search for a Minke Whale since the average dive of a Northern Elephant Seal lasts approximately 30 minutes.
It wasn’t too long before we found a Minke Whale, and the whale even had short dive times, only 4 minutes. After capturing several glimpses of the Minke Whale it was time to begin our jaunt back to Friday Harbor. But the tour wasn’t over yet, on the way back we stopped to view a mature Bald Eagle and at least 20 Steller Sea Lions hauled out on the rocky shores of Whale Rocks! Wooowhooo!
Good Times in the Salish Sea!
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours