The M/V Sea Lion left the harbor today with no whale reports as it was pretty foggy on the west side of San Juan Island. However, like many non-whale report days, it wasn't long before a sighting of the orcas come across on the VHF radios on Salmon Bank. I broke the news to our guests, which is always my favorite part, and we headed straight there!
When we got on seen, I quickly recognized the group of transient orcas as the same group we saw yesterday: T-120s. They were milling in a circular formation when we got on seen. As soon as we shut our motor off, I saw a porpoise being flung though the air. The transients had clearly found prey on Salmon Bank worth pursuing and were in the process of killing it. The whole thing lasted for at least two hours. We saw the whales breaching on the porpoise, playing with it, tail slapping and more. A while would go by and then more aggressive behavior would happen. It was an afternoon of action and was truly incredible to be reminded of why these mammals have their place in the food chain as the top predator. Luckily, these whales never turn on humans! As vicious as these killer whales can be, there has never been a report of a wild killer whale attacking a human.
Heather, Naturalist, M/V Sea Lion
San Juan Safaris