Jordan | June 14, 2018 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 sunset
The Sealion, along with Captain Pete and myself, voyaged out of Friday Harbor for the 5:30 sunset tour. Luckily, J Pod just recently returned to the San Juan islands causing excitement amongst the entire region! Today, this large group of Southern Resident whales decided that the southwest waters of San Juan Island was the best place to be. So, Captain Pete led us south past Cattle Point and up to Eagle Point where we saw our first whales.
Almost immediately, a whale right in front of us leapt out of the water! Our guests couldn’t help but be amazed. The different matrilines of the Southern Resident pod were very spread out so we kept having to scan the water all the way up past the bow and down the stern of the boat.
For the rest of the trip, the whales would breach and tail slap and even wave at us with their pectoral fins! We thought we’d seen it all but then we saw a calf swimming right next to his mother which was a perfect way to end our time with the whales. Seeing the family bonds of these intelligent and loving animals is always so rewarding.
We headed back up north and stopped by a rocky outcrop to look at some Stellar sealions. Their huge bodies lumbered around the tiny rock and their loud barking filled the air. This group of sealions should be headed north to Alaska soon to join their companions for breeding season.
As we headed back to Friday Harbor, the air grew colder but our hearts filled with the warm joy of experiencing the wonder of wild animals.
Naturalist Jordan