Every day in the San Juans is an amazing day, but some days everything aligns for the perfect whale watching extravaganza! Today just so happened to be one of those days. It started off raining in the morning, but when it came time to get on the boat there wasn't a cloud in the sky. This was just the first good omen for the day. Reports of Humpbacks and Transients near Sidney Island on the Canadian side of Haro Strait proved to be fruitful as well. Captain Jim, passengers aboard the M/V Kittiwake, and myself met up with not one, but two Humpback whales! It was great to see these majestic creatures cruising along the north end of San Juan Island. After getting a few good looks at the humpback, we decided to head into Canadian waters where two transients were awaiting us. T-20 and T- 21 were continuously going on deeper dives to forage for marine mammals under calm waters of Haro Strait. T-20 has a very distinctive dorsal fin since he has a very prominent gouge towards the top of his dorsal fin. He is commonly spotted with a female Transient Orca, T-21, who is 45 years old! Not bad day for whale watching.
Good whale sightings, good weather, and great people all combined to make for an excellent day on the water! Here's hoping everyday can be as good as this one.
Caitlin, Naturalist-M/V Kittiwake, San Juan Safaris