There's definitely a fever of excitement rippling through the Salish Sea right now. J Pod is still hanging around! With sightings of these orcas few and far between this season, it's wonderful that these animals have been around for the past few days. Hopefully they've been finding plenty of salmon in the area - their wellbeing depends on it.
M/V Sea Lion cruised away from Friday Harbor with warm, sunny skies above and sparkling green seas below. After pausing off of Turn Island to watch some harbor seals basking in the sun, we continued south to meet up with the J16's off of Eagle Cove. Sure enough, it wasn't long before we saw Mike (J26) gliding through the pastel water, his massive dorsal fin towering over those of his sisters, Alki and Echo and little two-year-old Scarlet. Mike seemed to be lagging behind his family members as they were slowly making there way up the southwest side of San Juan Island. Mike is always a delight to watch - his frisky curiousity and massive size truly allow us as whale watchers to get an idea of the sheer strength and incredible cognitive abilities of these animals.
After several great viewings of Mike and his family, we left them behind for a short while to catch up with some of the "cookie clan," J22, J34, and J38. These animals were being especially acrobatic, breaching and spy hopping all over the place. What an epic couple of whale watches!
If you ever find yourself on San Juan Island wanting to watch some whales but without time to head out on a trip, head on over to Lime Kiln state park and check out the views from the west side! You may even have a chance to spot some of our black and white friends on their way cruising by. It's definitely a magical place!