It’s not often that we get to choose between viewing Bigg’s Killer Whales or Southern Resident Killer Whales on the same trip. That was the case today. I wish we could spread out this luck for the guests who didn’t get to see any killer whales on their trip. For a time during peak summer, we were striking out trip after trip, at a time when killer whale sightings should have been at their peak. That unpredictability is part of the fun of viewing killer whales in the wild.
So what did Captain Mike choose? Transients, because they were right around the corner from our Friday Harbor docks! The first group of transients were porpoising north at a high speed from Yellow Island toward another group milling off of Flattop Island. We paralleled this first group and then moved on to observe Steller’s sea lions at Green Point on Spieden Island. When we turned to catch up with the second group of transient orcas, we realized they were headed right for us and the sea lions. Suddenly there was a boil of white water with the faint outline of a seal flipper in the center. It appeared that the transients had found a tasty morsel. The group continued toward the sea lions and we wondered if the orcas had finished their appetizer and were now moving on to the entrée. But no, after lingering at Green Point, the gang continued west, tight along the shore of Spieden, playing and breaching.
Andrew
Naturalist, M/V Sea Lion
San Juan Safaris