Our first evening charter of the season headed out tonight into the rough waters of Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We had a possible report of Biggs killer whales heading in from the Pacific Ocean, a roughly 80 mile trek. The whales were last sighted near Victoria, Canada; with a crew that was willing to brave the elements to see killer whales, we went for it! A little rain, wind, and choppy water wasn’t going to stop us from giving people an experience of a lifetime with killer whales.
After about two hours, we finally got to the whales last location; however, we had to reacquire them again. And after about fifteen minutes of scanning the horizon, we finally found them! We found a group of 4 killer whales that we identified to be the T049A group, traveling east. We traveled with them as they foraged and porpoised through the building waves, and watched as they disappeared into the distance when we had to head home. And as the sun was setting over the water, the Olympic Mountains towering over the landscape, and the wind blowing slightly, I couldn’t help but think that there wasn't hardly anything more peaceful as watching killer whales in this fashion. It's one of my favorite things to do, and it was a great night.
Heather, Naturalist, M/V Sea Lion
San Juan Safaris