Well, where are the whales? Our reports these last two weeks have been few and far between, which is not uncommon in January and February. Male L87 and J pod were making very good use of the Salish Sea prior to about 10 days ago, with lots of sightings and reports in both the Strait of Georgia and South Puget Sound. J pod was briefly heard vocalizing on the Lime Kiln Lighthouse hydrophone on January 19th, 20th, and 21st.
In addition to the scarce Southern Resident killer whale reports, we also had reports of a small family of Transient Orcas near Pt. Caution, just outside of Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, on January 12th.
There is a very good chance that J pod has made their way out through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and are currently traveling along the outer coast. Last year, the Southern Resident Killer Whales made their way as far south as Pt. Reyes, California!
Brittany Office & Reservations Manager San Juan Safaris