We had our first sunset tour of the season tonight and the only way to describe it was AMAZING! We had a small intimate group as we headed north out of Friday Harbor and quickly made our way to the west side of San Juan Island. The water was a bit choppy as we rounded Roche Harbor, but it made for a very adventurous and exciting boat ride! Just north of Lime Kiln one of our guests spotted a dorsal fin close to shore. Then we all spotted a lot more dorsal fins and misty blows. The killer whales were spread out from the shoreline, out. There were at least eight resident killer whales together in that area. It was difficult to identify individuals because of the waves, but the choppy sea seemed to bring out their playfulness. Many of the whales were spy hopping far out of the water; one whale came out three times in a row! We also witnessed one whale breach, and we also caught glimpses of the white underside of their flukes as a few lob tailed. All of this going on with the sun getting lower towards the horizon behind us. Like I said, AMAZING first sunset trip, with many more to come!
~Kristen, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris