Today we left the dock in high spirits with two options to see whales. Captain Mike certainly made the right choice, and as we came to decision time, the proverbial fork in the road, we headed North into the Haro Strait. The results couldn't have been better. Breaching killer whales are always impressive and as we got closer to a few other boats in the whale watching fleet, it was obvious we were in for a show. I counted at least six breaches before we even got close enough for most of our guests to see the whales. By the end of the trip I had lost count at 40. When we approach a group of Killer Whales that has already been reported, we often know if they are Southern Residents or Transients, and potentially even which individuals are around. Today was no different, we had already heard K and L pods were traveling South off the coast of San Juan Island. However, had we not known Naturalist Alex and I would have looked at saddle patches first to figure out who we were looking at. Every trip offers different opportunities to learn the individuals that reside in the San Juan Islands during the season. The weather was glorious and an area of the water that can be tumultuous with tide and wind was flat and calm all afternoon. We followed the intermingled pods, watching breach after breach, logging whales, and a lot of foraging behavior on our way South. We left them as they continued on, happy with amazing views of cavorting wild whales before glacier-capped volcanoes Rainier and Baker. And with a quick view of a Minke Whale on the way back, we were home in Friday Harbor.
Naturalist Brendan M/V Sea Lion, San Juan Safaris