Another beautiful day in Friday Harbor, but we were excited to depart and hit the water to see what adventures we had in store for us today. The M/V Sea Lion pushed off the dock and turned south today, with reports of residents frolicking and foraging near the south side of the island. Although the sky looked a bit gloomy, the rain held off for us, and the sun even popped out to say "What's up!" a couple of times.
This is one of my favorite routes to take on our tours, because you get sweeping views of both the east and southwestern shorelines of San Juan Island, along with epic looks at Whidbey Island, the Olypmic Peninsula, Vancouver Island, and out towards the Pacific through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Not to mention, we are lucky enough to frequently see our residents on this side of the island, an excellent spot for them to find salmon. And sure enough, we saw several members of L-pod and what looked to be K-pod as well, spread out over a few miles and exhibiting typical foraging behavior. As we were nearing the end of our time with the whales, we were able to witness something incredible. The subgroup from L-pod that we were with started to tighten their formation and become very playful! Were they feeling full and happy from a good meal? Hopefully!
They were a delight to watch, with tail slaps, spyhops, and a little bit of boat mugging even when Lapis and her young calf and sister Jade swam right by our stern. I was practically jumping up and down in excitement, and there was certainly a high level of energy among all of us onboard! Captain Pete was wonderful, letting us stay for a bit longer than normal to really enjoy the activity we were watching. Eventually, we did have to turn and head for home, but as always, we had a wonderful trip back with beautiful looks at Stellar Sea Lions, bald eagles, harbor seals and porpoises, and plenty of other seabirds.
San Juan Safaris and the M/V Sea Lion continuously make my head spin with the epicness of our tours! Come join and experience for yourself, we're ready to introduce you to this beautiful area.
"Oh, you know, just airing out the 'pits." Stellars on Whale Rocks The lone cormorant in a sea of gulls Stretching those peduncle muscles! Lapis and her calf giving us a surprise :) L-Pod Cruisers