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.
The Transient Killer Whales were all business today. A group of approximately 6 individuals were taking their sweet time below the surface, typical foraging behavior. They kept us guessing as to where they were going to pop up for a few breaths before their next long dive. Meanwhile we drifted in the calm, sunlit waters in sight of downtown Victoria (48°21.21N, 123°18.01W). On our way back in, we came across porpoises, murres, cormorants, loons, seals, sea lions, and a Minke Whale. All present and accounted for! We’re savoring every last bit of this lingering summer with the knowledge that the fall rains, high winds, and rough seas could be right around the corner.
Naturalist Andrew
San Juan Safaris Whale Watching
Well whale watchers, it’s been a great season! Today was my final tour and a memorable one. We started off with a Minke Whale sighting in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Salmon Bank. This whale couldn’t seem to get enough of the crowd, surfacing more times than I’ve ever seen a Minke Whale do so. After traveling with him for a while, we decided to head further west in search of more critters. We soon found 15+ Dall’s Porpoise just a couple miles offshore of Eagle Point. This was only the second time I’ve seen these animals in all the 5 months I’ve spent on the water here, so I was running around the boat squealing and pointing like a little kid at Disneyland. They eventually began to play with us, riding with the water of our bow and also in the wake of our stern. Simply awesome! We then headed for home, stopping by the eagles nest on Long Island where a mature Bald Eagle sat perched near the top of a tree just afore the nest and swung by Whale Rocks to see the massive mumbling and grumbling Steller Sea Lions.
It’s been a whale of a season to say the least, and I will deeply miss the water, the animals, the adventure, and most importantly the crew! But until next time my friends…
Signing off,
Naturalist Tara, San Juan Safaris
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
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
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
Today we were lucky enough to see Minke whales on all three of our trips! We encountered them in Griffin Bay, Cattle Pass, and Haro Strait. September weather has also been treating us nicely with beautiful sunny days, and glassy seas.
The real treat however was near the end of the day when we saw an entire family of River Otters at Long Island. It started out as a single sighting, but as we watched, one River Otter turned into a whole family. Every time the otters would go back into the water they would come out with more. It was quite hysterical actually, trying to guess how many there were, and then seeing them multiply. I suppose they are somewhat similar to the Southern Residents in that matter, leaving no one behind!
Ha Ha Just Awesome!
Naturalist Tara, San Juan Safaris
Another gorgeous afternoon spent in the San Juan Islands…
Upon departing Friday Harbor we motored south and within 15 minutes spotted a group of Pacific Harbor Seals. The seals were taking advantage of the beautiful weather and were hauled out on the rocks enjoying their midday siestas. Within minutes we spotted our next species, a mature bald eagle perched at the top of a tree. Amazing. I never get enough of seeing these majestic birds.
As our journey continued south we saw 15 Steller Sea Lions sprawled out across the rocky shores of Whale Rocks. The Sea lions always look so comfortable lounging on the rocky shores; it must help to have a thick blubber layer as a barrier. Another 3 Sea Lions were swimming in the water, perhaps taking a dip to cool off.
Next we cruised out to Salmon Bank where we spent time viewing a mysterious Minke Whale. We definitely participated in whale aerobics, crossing from one side of the boat to the other for viewing, as the Minke Whale kept us guessing on where it would surface next. The Minke Whale did surprise us by surfacing and swimming towards our boat. We were all excited to see where the whale would surface next and a collective “Ahhhhh” echoed from the boat as the whale crossed 100 yards directly behind us!
What a Fan-Tastic day!
Naturalist Amy, San Juan Safaris