Erick | Sunday, April 21, 2019 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00
Happy Easter everyone! Today we had a fantastic trip. Captain Pete, Ryder, and I headed out with a full boat on a beautiful sunny day! He headed north through San Juan Channel and then through President Channel following up on a report of orcas near Sucia and Matia Islands just north of Orcas Island. Once we got nearer to Sucia and Patos Islands we started to see the blows! We soon identified them as part of J pod! J pod, probably one of the most famous groups of orcas is one of the three pods of Southern Resident Orcas. This doesn't mean they live here all the time, but it does mean they are the ecotype that preys on fish, primarily Chinook Salmon. We usually see them most often during the summer and early fall when we have larger runs of Chinook Salmon so it's always extra special when we see them this time of year. We started to watch them as the group slowly traveled northward towards East Point on Saturna Island. They started to tail slap and breach when they hit the tidal rips around the point and it was so fun to watch them be so playful. The first group we had the opportunity to watch was the J16s and we got to see J16 and J26 swim upside down and pectoral slap the water a couple of times. So fun! We next went to the rest of the group where we saw the J17’s and Blackberry, J27, and the J22’s! These orcas were swimming very close together and eventually grouped up with the others as they continued northward. Then one of the young ones started to breach a few times just as they were passing the point. A lot of times this behavior is just for fun but it can also be used to audibly signal under water when they round the point of the island. It’s kind of like saying “We’re here!” so any other orcas in the area can hear them. After that very fun encounter we headed back south and made our next stop at Green Point on Spieden Island to check out the large colony of Steller Sea Lions there. They were pretty hunkered down today probably because of the wind but we got to watch a few of them growl and shake their heads disapprovingly at each other! We then headed back down San Juan Channel but soon stopped again because there was another group of orcas! It was the same family we saw yesterday, the T65A’s! This is a family group from the other ecotype that we can see here – the Bigg’s also known as the Transient Orcas. Unlike the Southern Residents, they hunt marine mammals exclusively. We watched them travel southern for a little bit against the current which was kind of unusual but them we might have seen why. A Minke Whale scooted in front of the boat and away from the group of orcas. They don’t often eat Minkes but this family is well known to at least harass these small baleen whales and sometimes hunt them! So exciting! Unfortunately, it eventually was time to leave these amazing creatures and head back home to Friday Harbor. But, if some folks were luckily enough to stick around the shop and harbor they would have seen that same family swim inside the harbor a little bit after we returned! What another amazing day! Whale folks, until next time.
Erick
