I went out with an especially cheerful group of people who were 0ld friends with eachother. In 1992, they flew around the world in small planes, over Russia. Now they get together every year, and this year they got together in San Juan and chartered the Kittiwake. The name of their group was the International Friggin' Crazy Flying Club. So as you can imagine, they were a fun group to go out with.

When we left, it was gray, a thin blanket over everything, but relatively warm. The...

Last evening we headed towards the southern tip of San Juan where Cattle Point Lighthouse is located.  This is our last week of sunset tours and I'm really going to miss the way that lighthouse looks against a setting sun.  That thought was interrupted when we spotted Stellar Sea Lions showing off their large bodies on Whale Rocks.  These sea lions can weigh up to 2200 lbs!  We continued up the west side of San Juan where we encountered the L-pod around False Bay.  The whales...

It has been said by the locals that this is the largest run of Sockeye Salmon we've EVER had (at least in a lifetime). Everywhere you looked off the west side today, there were purseiners, fish jumping and orcas feeding. Fat and happy whales, they lolled about slowly, on long dives, taking their time, scooping up all of the salmon that would fit in their conically toothed mouths. Some of them must be eating for two. We can't see when an orca is gestating because they have a large...

Yesterdays afternoon trip saw a little seen baleen whale - a minke. There are only about 18 minke whales in and around the islands. Our guests got very good looks at this whale in the afternoon both from the MV Sea Lion and the smaller MV Kittiwake.

Last evening on the 5;30 tour the resident orca whales were back in range and Captain Craig said they saw lots and lots of whales.  He thought possibly all 90 of them - not just in one spot of course.

This afternoon boat boats are again...

When is a baby orca not a baby?  When it has not been seen by the Center For Whale Research, that is when.  They are the research body officially in charge of monitoring the population of the Southern Resident Killer Whales that are found in the Pacific Northwest.  They maintain the matriarchal family trees and the population numbering system.  They are also the group that makes the official announcement when an individual dies or a new calf is born.  Today we are hoping it is the...

Wow, yet another beautiful whale filled day in the San Juans! This time of year it seems I could start every blog that way! The weather and the whales have fully cooperated and we've been blessed with fantastic trips for weeks and weeks on end!

Today I was aboard the Kittiwake with Captain Mike and a boatload of guests. We cruised southbound over toward False Bay. If you are a frequent reader of our blogs, this location will be of no surprise to you.

The Southern Resident orcas were...

Side Breach and Straight Ahead Orca Whale by Sosha Mathew

Lone Orca Whale Off San Juan Island at Sunset, by Sosha Mathew

Snoozing Seals and Gulls, by by Sosha Mathew

From our Sunday, August 1, 2010 Tour. These will be entered into our photo contest. Thanks Sosha!

The oldest member of the Southern Resident Community is named Granny. She is estimated to be a 100 years old. She is also the matriarch of J-pod. Her cohort is a 60 year old male named Ruffles. Ruffle's dorsal fin is 5 to 6 feet tall, a common measurement for adult males, as compared to the 2 to 3 foot tall dorsal fin of the average female. A juvenile male is indistinguishable from a female with the exception of their ventral markings. A small black dot on each side of the ventral...

WHAT'S YOUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY STORY? 2011 is People For Puget Sound's 20th birthday and we'd like to hear your story about Puget Sound and People For Puget Sound during the last 20 years” and looking ahead to the next 20.

Were you on the first Sound Voyage?

At the first Lobby Day in 1992?

Were you a Kid for Puget Sound? Did you volunteer during the early days of restoration and shoreline inventories?

Check out the stories and we'd love to hear from you.

Finally it looks like the fog may be clearing. We still had a foggy morning but it quickly cleared out and turned into a beautiful day. This afternoon was a true safari. We started off by observing some harbor seals basking in the sun...it's rough being a harbor seal! Then we moved over to whale rocks to observe a couple of stellar sea lions.  These amazing creatures can weigh between 1500-3000 lbs depending upon the sex of the animal. Sea lions are capable of "walking" on land using...