Tuesday brought sunny skies and calm water. We headed north from Friday Harbor with reports of whales in active pass as well as faint vocalizations around Lime Kiln. We were trying to decide which way to start our search when we heard confirmed reports of J-Pod off Moresby Island. As we slowly approached the area the whales came in to view. The passengers on board were ecstatic! The pod was spread out into smaller groups. Some were in way close to shore, while another group of younger animals were porpoising a little farther out. Other boats confirmed sightings of 'Doublestuf', and we were able to confirm sightings of 'Blackberry'. Even our passengers got in the act of sighting whales through the binoculars and taking their best guesses which whales we were seeing by looking at our dorsal ID pictures. 'Blackberry' had a very consistent pattern of slow breaths and very slow descents, leaving his dorsal skimming along the surface. We also saw double spy hops, lots of rolling, some upside down swimming, pec slapping, and even some whales playing with the kelp.
The passengers knew how lucky they were and expressed their excitement and awe for the entire trip home. What a great day to be on the water!
Mike- Naturalist, San Juan Safaris