Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.6.2022 | 12:30 PM
M/V Sea Lion left the dock with only a rumor to work off this afternoon. There was hearsay that someone saw killer whales heading southeast off South Beach around 8:30 am this morning. San Juan Safaris is part of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, and when there are no firm whale reports, the PWWA whale watching vessels will work together to divide and conquer. Captain Brian knew of another whale watching vessel that was headed to the south end of Lopez Island, so we decided to go around the north end of Lopez to scan for these rumored whales. As we made our way between Blakely Island and Decatur Island, through Thatcher Pass, we got word that 9 Bigg’s killer whales were headed up Rosario Strait. Talk about being at the right place at the right time!
Once we made our way into Rosario, we started seeing those signature black dorsal fins pop up in the distance. We were in the presence of T124A1, the T124A2’s, the T86A’s and most notably T87. T87, also known as Harbeson, is a male killer whale born in 1962, making him 60 years old! The average male killer whale lives to be around 50 years old, making Harbeson one of the oldest male killer whales in the Salish Sea! Not only is T87s age incredible, but his dorsal fin is too... It is very distinct, with a large notch on the tip of it. After getting some fantastic looks at these 9 Bigg’s killer whales, we made our way to Bird Rocks, a typical haul out site for Steller’s Sea Lions and Harbor Seals. Not only did we get to see multiple Seller’s Sea Lions and Harbor Seals, but we also got to see a Bald Eagle perched on the Bird Rocks “National Wildlife Refuge” sign. This was the first trip in days filled with sunshine, so these wildlife sightings were just the cherry on top of a perfect day on the water!