What an absolutely beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest! M/V Sea Lion left the dock early this afternoon with the sun sparkling on the water and a light breeze blowing - perfect conditions for whale watching. Instead of turning north today, we veered south, enjoying stunning views of the southern tip of San Juan Island on our way across the Straight of Juan de Fuca. We were in search of some transient killer whales that had been spotted earlier this morning.
Along the way, we were treated to views of some curious harbor seals and our ever-elusive harbor porpoises frolicking in the water, no matter which direction you looked. After a beautiful, smooth cruise across the channel, we caught sight of a pod of transients hunting right off of the Dungeness Spit on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula. After consulting our logs, we were able to identify them as members of the T46 family. Interestingly enough, these whales were being incredibly active at the surface, something we don't often see of the transients. It seemed that they had already caught and killed their prey (which appeared to be a harbor porpoise) and were in the process of playing with it - a way for them to teach the younger whales to hunt. There were plenty of tail slaps, and a few of us even caught to catch a spy hop.
It was a wonderful day to enjoy some sunshine and whale views in the waters south of San Juan Island!
Naturalist Lauren Fritz
San Juan Safaris