[7/28/17- M/V Sea Lion- Kelsey, Naturalist- 1:30PM and 5:30PM]
Sunny skies and whales in the forecast- it was turning out to be a beautiful July afternoon! Our first group departed on M/V Sea Lion from Friday Harbor on San Juan Island and headed north through San Juan Channel and President Channel. We reached Sucia Island and the top of Orcas Island, and lucky us, TWO family groups of transient, or mammal-eating, orca whales were around, just three miles apart!
We arrived on scene with a group of about 6 individuals, and as we arrived, they quickly changed their direction of travel and surfaced right past our boat! We watched in awe as they casually cruised past us in a wide line with synchronized breaths. There were primarily adult females, and even a few calves in the mix. Beautiful! They quickly began heading north, and we decided to turn and catch up with another shore-riding family group, the T37A’s. There were two adult females and two young calves, and they mixed in frolicking and tail-splashes to their westward travel around Orcas Island.
Our evening trip also caught up with the T37A’s, but by this time they were down on the northern side of Speiden Island! They were beautifully lit in the golden light of a setting sun, and the stunning emerald green waters and green trees on the side of the cliffs were glowing behind them as this adorable little family swam past Speiden and down towards Henry Island and Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. Not only did we see killer whales, but we also were able to see and hear some chirping bald eagles at their nest, some harbor seals and their pups, and some Mouflon sheep on Speiden!
This is the best time of year to be seeing killer whales in our Salish Sea region, and today definitely proved that! The beauty of this place never disappoints!