Word was whales were headed north... no, wait... south... no, wait... north! A pod of indecisive orcas! Yes, northbound for sure along the west side of San Juan Island. So north we headed as the Sea Lion left the harbor on this sun shiny afternoon, hugging the eastern coastline. Along the way, we spotted a bald eagle perched regally on a nest on O'Neal island.
As we rounded the northernmost point of San Juan Island, we saw several boats in the distance, paused to look at something. Or some THINGS! One by one, we saw large black dorsal fins belonging to none other than, you guessed it, J-pod! They were still in the neighborhood and we were able to catch up with them as they traveled towards Canadian waters. We found the rear ten to fifteen individuals of the 27-animal pod and observed them as they tail slapped, pectoral fin slapped and upside down tail slapped. One of the pod members even spy-hopped four times, each time nearly revealing pectoral fins. When a whale of any species does this maneuver--bringing its head and often even eyes up out of the water as it remains vertically positioned--it is considered a curious behavior. This leads scientists and whale watchers alike to consider: are the whales curiously watching us?
Serena, Naturalist
San Juan Safaris