[Sarah |11/10/2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:00pm]
We had a wonderful day out on the water enjoying mild November weather and great wildlife. Starting out the day we had some reports of whales far to the west, but as we left the harbor our plans changed with a report of whales far closer to home. Leaving Friday Harbor Captain Brian got a call from another boat that drastically altered our plans.
Instead of heading south and west, Captain Brian steered the M/V Sea Lion inter-island, retracing the ferry path back towards Rosario Strait. As we popped out into the eastern strait of the San Juan Islands through Thatcher Pass, we turned the boat south towards James Island and Bird Rocks. Just west of the rocky outcropping we found a family of Bigg’s killer whales known as the T137s. This family of four led by T137 herself is a group of our “usual suspects” here in the Salish Sea. The most distinctive whale in this family is T137A “Jack” a sub-adult male whose dorsal fin has two distinct notches in its trailing edge. We watched the orcas as they rested and traveled.
After a great encounter with the orcas we left on the search for other wildlife, finding Steller’s sea lions, harbor seals, and even a bald eagle.