When the M/V Sea Lion departed from the docks today it was down-pouring rain. We all stayed inside the cabin, where the heat was on to keep us warm while we weathered the storm. That however, didn't last long as we soon came upon a group of playful harbor porpoise to look at! They were all around our boat and were foraging in the San Juan Channel. And, as we continued on, we were able to see about forty steller sea lions! It was great, these guys are about 2,000 pounds of sheer fat! Quite impressive...
As we circumnavigated San Juan Island, braving the wind and rain in search of Orcasin Harro Strait, spirits never lowered. Everyone was very positive throughout an otherwise very black trip! And, when we all thought we finally weren't going to see any whales today, guess what showed up!? Yep, we had a group of five trasient (mammal hunting) killer whales spotted about a mile away from where we were! Captain Brian quickly turned the boat around and we were off! When I saw the first blow, I lit up, telling everyone the good news. It always makes me happy to see their excited faces when I break the news that we'll get to see killer whales after all!
As if seeing the killer whales after a trip of rain, wind and more rain wasn't good enough, the remainder of the trip gave way to numerous rainbows. It ended up being a beautiful trip. You can't go wrong with Orcas and rainbows!!
Heather, Naturalist, M/V Sea Lion
San Juan Safaris