Whales Map August 9. 2011 Sunset Tour by Victoria BC

Occasionaly our resident orca whales take a day or two sabbatical  and go out to the Pacific, likely to survey the trend of salmon coming in (no one really knows why).

Yesterday, boats from Victoria reported the whales were returning and had reached the Jordan River coming east to San Juan Island. For our 1:30 tour the large group of whales had not come far east enough for us to reach.

When departing for the 5:30 trip, Captain...

Wildlife abounds in the San Juan Islands, but only if you like bald eagles.  And harbor seals.  Oh, and Stellar sea lions.  And minke whales, pigeon guillemots, rhinoceros auklets, common murres, cormorants, turkey vultures, mouflon sheep, black-tailed deer, fallow deer, sika deer, and maybe some bald eagles and vultures fighting over shreds from a dead-and-beached harbor seal carcass.  But only if you're into all that!

From Friday Harbor, we got the call of vultures and bald eagles...

Very unusual sighting today…a humpback! It was right on the west side of San Juan Island. We motored around cattle point and saw a bunch of boats in one area. Everyone eagerly searched for what could possibly be nearby. Then we saw the spout followed by its large back. We watched for a while and were able to see it go down for two deeper dives, arching its back and exposing its fluke. Plus, when it exhaled, it sounded like it was wheezing because it made a high pitched, scratchy...

Today was definitely one of the top five whale encounters I’ve had since I started at San Juan Safaris! We left Friday Harbor heading south with reports that there were whales on the west side. On the way we first stopped to view a large group of harbor seals that were hauled out on a rocky island. Then, as we traveled a little further south, a thick layer of fog descended. It created an eerie ambiance as it encompassed our boat. This however did not prevent us for encountering more...

We went international to observe a pod rumored to be around the Golf Islands of Canada. Shortly after crossing the international boarder and entering the Swanson Channel we saw a group of around fifteen lively orcas. The surface around them was turning with activity as Mickey Mouse ear pectoral fins slapped the surface, full-body breaches created wakes and tails slammed onto the water. There were three mature males within the mix and the two that were traveling closely together...

The killer whales were close today so we had plenty of observation time and were able to see a smorgasbord of species.  We first encountered L pod and successfully identify the 34-year-old male Mega (L-41) who was traveling alongside the 22-year-old male Gaia (L-78).  What was really exciting was the amount of calves that were traveling and playing together.  There were at least three youngsters who were taking turns lob tailing, propoising, spy hopping and breaching next to each...

It was an absolutely gorgeous warm, sunny day; perfect for wildlife viewing. With the weather on our side, we headed north into Canadian waters to find the killer whales. As we saw the first dorsal fin slice out of the water, two harbor seals came up right next to our boat, followed by a couple harbor porpoises. Distracted, we lost sight of the orca until three of them came up on us, about one hundred yards away! It was K pod; we were able to identify Cappuccino.

We watched them...

I was a little worried waking up this morning to overcast skies, but just before leaving on today’s adventure the clouds started to part and the sun shined through. Our luck continued as we circumnavigated San Juan Island. There were tons of harbor seals with little pups in the water and hauled out on rocks. As we went around Cattle Point a bald eagle flew over our boat, giving us one of the best views I’ve seen of one. Just further ahead, we spotted our first killer whale. Then, a...

Today was one of those rare perfect days to be a wildlife watcher. The sun was shining and the water glassy as we made our way south from Friday Harbor. Our first stop was at whale rocks where there were the most wildlife species I’ve ever seen at one time. There were cormorants, gulls, harbor seals in and out of the water, and two animals we do not see often: a brown pelican and not one, but two giant Steller’s sea lions, one of which was in the water and came up right behind our...

Orca off South West End of San Juan Island Sunset Whale Watch Tour

Last evening I got out from behind the computer and went on the 5:30 whale watching tour. It is the "lighting". I just love it around 7:00 pm when eveyone's faces are warm from the sunlight. The Madrone trees seem firey and the summer grass on the hills glows.

There were many, many whales out off San Juan Island last evening. A guest took a photo and Serena ID'd the orca as Cappucino. The orcas were doing lots of...