Today was one of the best trips I had all season. Captain Brian, Naturalist Mike and I set out from the dock without a single report determined to find some wildlife we set out North towards Spieden Island. When we reached the Wasp Islands just west of Orcas and Shaw Islands we received a report of a large group of orcas moving south through Rosario Strait on the other side of Orcas Island, so of course we had to go check it out. Though there was a bit of wind and some significant rain, spirits were high! We braved some serious choppy water as we left Lopez Channel and made our way our into Rosario. Though we had a positive report, we were going to be the only boat even looking for these whales, so it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack! We were very fortunate to have been in contact with a friend watching the whales from land, so we had somewhat of an idea where to look, but it was certainly challenging! We ended up meeting up with 40+ Southern Residents near Lawson Reef, for November whale watching in the San Juans this is the Holy Grail. Though it is not unheard of to see orcas this time of year we are outside of our peak season that runs Mid-June through Mid-September, making any orca sighting this time of year particularly special. We watched as the whales rolled and played in the surf, breaching, spyhopping and tail lobbing. It seemed as though the whales spent more time flying through the air than swimming in the water today! We spent about 45 minutes with the whales, and then headed around the south end of Lopez to find some bald eagles roosted on Long Island and some Steller's sea lions on Whale Rocks. It was an absolutely incredible day on the water, certainly one of the best trips I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of!
Naturalist Sarah, M/V Sea Lion, San Juan Safaris