Today the Sea Lion went on yet another grand adventure! Captain Mike, Sarah and I were just as excited as our boat-load of passengers to get out into the Salish Sea on this beautiful day and look for wildlife.
As we left the dock in Friday Harbor we headed North towards Canada! We heard reports that part of the Southern Resident Killer Whale population was headed that way so we went ahead to investigate.
The area known as the Salish Sea, in which these particular orcas spend the majority of their summer feeding on salmon, has ties to both the United States and Canada. We regularly cross the border into Canadian waters, and the Coast Guard hasn't caught us yet! Actually, as long as we do not make contact with land (make port, anchor, or touch another boat) then there is no need for passports and we can continue our whale watch unhindered!
As we passed Spieden Island and the Cactus Islands we were scanning the water for those big black dorsal fins that we love to see. Finally, at the northern end of Boundary Pass, we saw dorsal fins rising from the water. It was J Pod!
We watched as the massive fin of J27 (Blackberry) rose from the water. In the same motion, his sister J31 (Tsuchi) and his brother J39 (Mako) also surfaced with a loud WHOOSH as they exhaled before slipping back under the water. The rest of the J19 matriline was not far behind, and we got some great looks at these stunning cetaceans.
Usually we see the Southern Residents traveling in discreet family groups, and today was no different. After the J19s passed us by, we got a visit from K Pod! It is always very cool to see two pods traveling and interacting together. The K12 and K13 matrilines, complete with huge fin of K25 (Scoter) and the slightly crooked fin of K33 (Tikka) and the distinct markings of K20 (Spock), gave us some stellar looks as they passed us by on their way to better fishing grounds.
After spending some more time watching these whales do their thing, we began to head back down south, but the adventure was far from over. As we were passing Stuart Island, we caught sight of yet another colossal dorsal fin! It was J26 (Mike) and the rest of the J16 matriline!
Complete with a full grown male and two fresh young calves, this group is unmistakable. They typically travel apart from the rest of J Pod, and we were able to see grandma J16 (Slick) babysitting the two calves while the new mother J36 (Alki) had some alone time.
After this surprise whale encounter (the best kind) we began to meander our way back to Friday harbor. Our return trip showed us a few harbor seals and plenty of jumping salmon, and of course we were back in the slip far too soon.
Another Whale of a day in the San Juan Islands!
Naturalist Mike J
M/V Sea Lion