We all like to eat, let's be real. Mammals need food. Sometimes lots of it, especially if you're a 15,000 pound killer whale who sometimes swims over 100 miles a day. You're burning calories nonstop, and life is a constant search for food. So, you're hungry, and you're a Southern Resident orca - what do you do next?
Well, since you've got a refined palate, you're going to be on the hunt for some King Salmon, also called Chinook. And where would you find such a fish? If it's the right time of year (summer) you'll hopefully be able to find salmon in the beautiful inland waters of northwestern Washington. The Salish Sea is the perfect place to come in the warmer months of the year because these salmon are heading back into the area from the open ocean to swim up the rivers in which they were born. Why are they making this return journey? Becuase it's time for them to spawn! It's all part of the salmon life cycle. And because the salmon are here this time of year, you, hungry orca, will want to be here too.
Perfect! Hungry killer whale, meet salmon. On our whale watches today, guests and naturalists on the M/V Sea Lion had the chance to watch several member of J pod foraging for salmon of the southwestern side of the island, an area called Hannah Heights that provides the perfect underwater environment for feasting on fish. We were able to witness the excited, joyful aftermath of orcas getting a nice big meal, with several breaches and fantastic splashes on all sides of the boat! Slick and Scarlet, one mom and calf pair, were particularly playful, lobbing their tails through the air and slapping them on the surface, sometimes rolling over onto their backs and flashing the pretty wide underside of their flukes. It was a beautiful day to watch these whales feeding and playing, and the perfect example of the playful activitiy so well known amongst the Southern Residents.
Another cool part of today's first whale watch? We had the chance to circumnavigate the entirety of San Juan Island! Usually, we pick a route and head either north or south, and return the way we came. We do this because it's most efficient and allows us to spend the most amount of time with the whales as possible. However, today, we encountered the whales on the northern side of the island as they were heading south, and we followed them along the western shoreline until we were essentially at the southern tip of San Juan. We soaked in the views of the coastline as we finished our circular route back towards Friday Harbor, reveling in the killer whale activity we had just witnessed. These beautiful creatures certainly know how to take our breath away!
Lauren Fritz
Whale Watch Naturalist
San Juan Safaris