L-POD

L-Pod with Calf near False Bay

Today we traveled east out of Friday Harbor, then South and then up the west side… We got word that there were some resident orcas near False Bay on the west side of the island.

We encountered some of L-pod, the largest pod of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. We got some great views of L-pods new calf, L-112 and L-86, the mother. The calf is super cute… We also got some great viewing time of other individuals from L-pod as well. After about an hour we headed to Long Island, just south of Lopez Island and saw four different Bald Eagles. We got a great view of an immature Bald Eagle. Immature bald eagles do not have a white head and tail. They don’t actually get the white head and tail till their about four or five years old. There was another adult eagle very close. We then saw two adult Bald Eagles right next to each other in a tree; these eagles were most likely a nesting pair. Bald eagles are monogamous birds and come back to their same nest every year.

We also saw some harbor seals swimming. On the way back to Friday Harbor we took a quick peek at Goose Island (on the south end of San Juan Island) and saw the elaborate nests of the double crested cormorants. A great warm day in the islands…

Naturalist Jeannette

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

More of Whales Gone Wild - photos 5:30 7/2/09

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Whales Gone Wild!

Thought I'd take a moment to share with you all a little about our trip last night (Thursday 7/2). It was one of those perfect evenings that we in the whale watching world dream about!

It was unbelievably calm...glassy seas, extremely clear skies and lots of whales! The Southern Residents (killer whales) had met up earlier in the day to form a superpod, and while I was not out on the 1pm trip I was happy to discover that all three pods (J, K, L) were all still together when we encountered them on the west side of San Juan Island last evening! They were still traveling northbound at a slow pace....milling about....rolling over, tail slaps....a spyhop or breach from time to time.

It was so quiet out that you could hear the vocalizations of the Orcas from hydrophones' on nearby boats! We dropped ours in a few times and heard some great squeals and squeaks and whistles!

One of my favorite sounds is hearing the whales surface and just breath. The exhale of hot air through the blow hole, heard from one Orca and then another and another is indescribable.

A little later we had some nice looks at K21 (Cappuccino) and K40 (Raggedy) and another male Orca....then some very flirtatious activity between Raggedy and this other male. A little date? ...and then, as one guest described the mating behavior..."Whales Gone Wild!" I won't go into details hear, but we all got a good laugh out of that comment!

And so with that grand finale to our Orca viewing we motored on back towards Friday Harbor. The evening glow of the sun was perfect as we took a scenic tour through Mosquito Pass and past the busy port of Roche Harbor and back down through San Juan Channel.

Truly, another beautiful evening enjoying the serenity of the San Juan Islands!

Thanks-
-Jaclyn, naturalist

Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©
Photo added later by colleen of Captain Nancy and Marine Naturalist Jaclyn

Canada Here We Come!

The whales were proving that they are the dominant marine species today. While we were rocking and rolling through the waves and being whipped by the wind, the orcas were effortlessly swimming along through the Canadian Gulf Islands. After we took the MV Sea Lion out of the dock today we headed for Turn Point on Stuart Island. The last orca report that we had had said that they were already past Lime Kiln and were headed North. At Haro Strait we gave way to a huge ocean-going liner from China and then motored across the strait into Canadian waters where we met up with other whale and wildlife watching boats.

The sun was quite warm and helped to take the chill off when the salt spray from the waves would catch us unawares. As striking as the orcas are though, it was rare that we noticed anything other than their antics. Spyhops were abundant when we first saw the whales off of the coast of South Pender Island. While swimming across the opening of Plumper Sound the tail slaps and cartwheels started. It definitely seems as if J pod has an abundance of energy these days, as we have seen them several times this week and they have been very active each visit.

While Jeanette talked with guests on the front of the boat and I entertained at the back, Capt. Craig maneuvered us through the day and at Saturna Island turned us around and drove us back towards San Juan Island. We made a quick run past the Cactus Islands so that our guests could see bald eagles and harbor seals, and then over to Spieden Island to see some exotic deer and sheep. Finally, all of our sleepy kids (and adults) were ready to see Friday Harbor again and our day was wrapped up a relaxing cruise down San Juan Channel to home.

Our day was lovely, as were our guests. So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris to all of you island trippers, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Fantabulous Orca Whale Watching

Hello Colleen -- Thank you very much. The whale watch was fantabulous -- we've whale watched all over the world, but this was just incredible.
I need to come back and will -- loved every minute of it.
I enjoyed the people on the trip almost as much as the wildlife! It was so exciting -- the Orca whales are very different from the humpbacks. Everything about the trip was spectacular -- particularly getting to meet you. Thank you for all of your help in every way. We're off to Victoria today. Best, Sheryl

VOLUNTEER VACATIONS ACROSS AMERICA in the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: http://tiny.cc/J84r3
Author of IMMERSION TRAVEL USA: THE BEST & MOST MEANINGFUL VOLUNTEERING, LIVING & LEARNING EXC URSIONS (Countryman Press, a division of W.W. Norton & Company, 2009)

Author of VOLUNTEER VACATIONS ACROSS AMERICA (Countryman Press, a division of W.W. Norton & Company, June 2009) NAMED ON AMAZON’S LIST OF BEST NEW TRAVEL BOOKS

As seen in USA TODAY’S SHERYL KAYNE’S TOP 10 VOLUNTEER VACATIONS

SHERYL KAYNE ON THE FAMILY NETWO RK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWXyTPTvvy4

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Sunset Orcas

Our sunset trip started out at about 5:30 PM and we headed south. The seas were glassy, super calm. We got word that the Orcas were near False Bay and heading up island. We rushed over there and immediately were able to identify J-1, “Ruffles”, we then saw granny, Riptide, Sachi and a few others.

We were so excited, J-pod twice in a row! It’s always so amazing to see Granny; she is estimated to be 98 years old and the matriarch of J-pod. She is also a movie star; her future role was in Free Willy 2!

We watched J-pod as they cruised with the current toward Lime Kiln State Park. They traveled very close together for a while, and then spread out of a little. We put our hydrophone in the water, we waited to hear if they were vocalizing, but we could only hear some faint sounds.

We then headed north to Spieden Island. At night when it’s cool some deer and sheep come out of the woods and graze. These animals are non-native to this area, but are super fun too see. We also saw two Bald Eagles on the Cactus Islands. Another great trip filled with wildlife!

Naturalist Jeannette Miller

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Orcas and Minkes

Orcas!

J-pod on both of our trips! On our afternoon adventure we saw J-30, Riptide, along with other J-pod members.

Riptide was born in 1995 and is the eldest surviving offspring of J-14, Samish. He is maturing into an adult and is growing a very tall dorsal fin. We watched as he fished, very interesting, you can see how quickly he is capable of moving.

We also saw lots and lots of spy hopping; this is when they come up vertically with their head and portions of their pectoral fins exposed. This is one of my favorite orca moves.

On the way back to Friday Harbor on our afternoon trip we were looking at all the sea birds, mostly gulls, congregating in one spot on the ocean surface. This is a sure sign of ‘fish’. The birds were making lots of noise and sure enough we saw a Minke whale.

Minke whales are one of the smallest baleen whales. We watched for a few minutes and another minke surfaced, but this one was much smaller, one of the Captains named him “Twinkie”. “Twinkie” the baby minke…

What a great adventure, Orcas and Minkes!!! Before reaching Friday Harbor we also saw Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles, Cormorants and lots of other birds.

Naturalist Jeannette

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

This just in...

"Here's my review -

We really had a good time. My wife and I took the whale watching tour on 26 June 2009. Nancy captained the boat and the naturalists were Jacqueline and ??. They were all very professional and knowledgable. They were also very patient and helpful with all the participants, even the smaller children. It was a very enjoyable experience. Be sure to take warm clothes!"

Thank you to Rick and his wife for joining us on another fabulous whale & wildlife trip. We appreciate the heartfelt response and are always glad to receive feedback and photos. So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris, we will...

See You In The Islands!

~Tristen, Naturalist

P.S. - I was the other naturalist on duty that day. Clearly I need to work on my delivery.

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Lovely Looks at L Pod of the South End of San Juan Island

Having heard a report that some members of the Southern Resident Community (the salmon-eating orcas) were spread out all down the west and south side of San Juan Island, we boarded the guests and cruised south down through San Juan Channel. The weather was warm, the sky was remarkably clear, and the water was calm. As we cruised through Cattle Pass the guests and naturalists gazed at a wonderful view of Mt Rainer (a mountain that we don't usually see from the San Juan Islands' waters) to our southwest.

When we arrived on scene, Captain Craig slowed down the boat to get a grasp on orcas whereabouts. Members of L Pod were spread out in the water off the south end of San Juan Island. We shut down the engines after cruising offshore and had some closer view of two L Pod members, L 78 (Gaia) and L 2 (Grace). L pod was fishing offshore of the island, making their their surfacings unpredictable and sporadic. This mother and son duo surfaced behind our stern, then off our starboard side (right side, for all you non-seafaring folk) and off our bow!

Eventually these two L pod members moved further offshore and met up with a larger group (perhaps 4-5 more L pod members) travelling away from us. In this group was at least 2 adult males. We had some wonderful views of the orcas breaching, tail-slapping and fishing during the day trip today!

Over and out,
Ashley, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

A Super Safari!

What a day! There were Orca families zooming everywhere with breaches, tail slaps and spyhops galore. We saw auklets and harbor seals and even a bald eaglet in the nest with his parents standing guard in nearby trees. The sun was out and the waters were calm and our guests on the MV Kittiwake could not have been more fun.

Capt. Craig and I took a lively group of visitors through Friday Harbor and down the east side of San Juan Island. Just past Turn Island we stopped to see some harbor seals hauled out on the rocks in the sun and a bald eagle sitting on the very top of a tree causing it to bend over with the bird's weight. We then rode the ebbing tide down San Juan Channel past Griffin Bay and out Cattle Pass. A quick left turn at the southwest corner of Lopez Island and there were the whales.

J1 "Ruffles" along with the rest of his family group went racing past us in a very tight formation and across the opening to Cattle Pass. Once on the other side they slowed down, probably because they were no longer fighting the currents. We could see numerous other family groups in the distance all headed west along the south ends of Lopez and San Juan Islands. They were swimming so fast that we say porpoising and white wave caps each time that the Orcas returned to the water. One individual did a fabulous bellyroll and there was so much tail waving and tail slapping going on I lost track of who was doing what.

After leaving what appeared to be a mix of Js, Ks and maybe Ls we then cruised Long Island and found the mated pair of bald eagles there and then motored over to the coastline of Lopez Island to check out a nest and chick that our sister boat, the MV Sea Lion, had alerted us to. Sure enough the adults could be seen sitting in nearby snags and the eaglet was proudly standing up in the nest surveying his domain. It was very cool.

Today really showcased what an awesome job this is and how fabulous it is to be here in the San Juan Islands. Neither I nor our guests could have asked for anything better. So, from all of us here at San Juan Safaris to all of you adventurers out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist



Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Natural Entertainment

Life is good as a naturalist these days. The Orcas are back in the islands and the summer is in full swing. With the 4th of July coming up, as well as Friday Harbor's centennial and the sesquicentennial of the Pig War there is no shortage of special events to fill those hours that can not be spent on the water. Luckily for our guests today, it was a day spent on the water and in the company of whales. And not just giant black and white dolphins, but real whales as well.

As we were making our way down the Strait of Juan de Fuca we got reports from another boat about a minke whale near Salmon Bank. It turns out that there were actually two whales and we watched for several minutes as they surfaced and fed. Each time after a breath sliding quietly back beneath the waters. Shortly though we were once again on the trail of the Orca. Luckily for us some of the other wildlife watch companies had scoped out the action before we got there.

The Orca whales, actually the world's largest dolphins, were spread out over a large area similar to where they had been the day before. There were a number of family groups numbering from approximately 4-6 individuals feeding and traveling within sight of the south end of San Juan Island. Even though there had been reports that L pod might have left the area, that was who we found today. All the groups were pretty focused on what they were doing and so there was not a lot of rambunctious behavior. But there were some quiet vocalizations heard as one family group passed by the MV Sea Lion.

Even though the south waters were as calm as could be today, it soon became time for us to go. So Capt. Nancy, Kathy, our guests and I bid the Orcas farewell and motored on back to Friday Harbor. On our return trip we caught sight of a bald eagle, some harbor seals and even a couple of harbor porpoises. It was a full and lovely day with the abundance of nature to entertain us and the sun coming out to chase away the clouds.

So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris to all of you loyal Orca fans, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

For The Love of Whales

Not wind, nor weather, nor water can deter us. If the whales are in the vicinity then we will do all we can to get to them. So said our guests today on the MV Sea Lion. Despite the grey skies and the spitting rain everyone was ready to get out on the water and commune with whales. We were in no way disappointed. The reports had been of sporadic behavior, but we found the whales at the South end of the island moving around in classic feeding patterns, which means that they were swimming everywhere.

We were on scene with the Orcas for a few minutes traveling with them as they moved offshore. Whales could be seen spread out over a large area traveling in small groups or even as singles. Suddenly, through what must have been a direct command or agreement, all of the whales changed direction and started heading west. The Orcas collected together into a group and increased their speed as we continued to see some erratic movements that coincided with feeding.

There was a general sense of urgency about their travels and we saw a number of spyhops and tail slaps. The tail slaps may have been a means to gather together and even herd salmon and other fish for feeding. The spyhops might also help with that since it gives the whales a chance to see where other members of the pod are, where the boats are and how far away the coastline is.

Finally, time and rough water forced our return to port, but not before we saw one juvenile and two adult bald eagles on Long Island. As well as a Bald Eagle that buzzed over Goose Island and sent all of the nesting birds into the sky in a frenzy. Despite the grey skies our day was golden with the glow of time spent with J pod, members of our beautiful Southern Resident Orcas.

From Capt. Nancy, Jaclyn, San Juan Safaris and myself, thank you to all of you nature lovers out there and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

The Wonder of Whales

How do you measure the quality of a moment? What is it that makes some indelible and others ephemeral? Why aren't all moments created equal?

Today was one of those types of days. It was grey and overcast with a little bit of rain in the air. The water was steely but calm and nature seemed to be holding it's breath. An eagle floated slowly past, harbor porpoises surfaced erratically and the breezes were still. There was a sense of bridled anticipation coming from the guests, the crew and even from the boat itself. Would the whales move out of range? Would we have traveled all those miles simply to see empty ocean? Would our memories be restricted to the wind and the waves?

Alas, no, the other companies had not led us astray. As we cleared Boundary Pass and entered the Strait of Georgia there were the other wildlife watching boats and whale blows and Orca dorsal fins could be seen amongst them. We slowly joined the throng so as not to disturb the magic that the whales cast over everyone and took our place in the moment. It did not take us long to realize that there were family groups spread everywhere and that you had to keep your eyes moving to take it all in. We saw J1 "Ruffles", J28 "Polaris" and J26 "Mike" among others. All of J pod seemed to be there with some extras as well. The animals were excitable and transferred that energy to us through their breaches and spyhops, tail slaps and splashes.

As always our time with the Orcas seemed too short, but soon we had been there nearly an hour and it was time to head back. We slowly departed the dream-like scene just as we had arrived and watched as the whales and their human sentinels faded into the foggy background. Our minds cataloging and storing the precious memories that we had just amassed. So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris to all of you dreamers out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

A terrific Tuesday with the Orcas!

I knew when I woke up this morning and the sun was shining that it was going to be a good day! And it was.

Both our trips today had amazing looks at the Orcas or Killer Whales that frequent the San Juan Islands. We lucked out on our 1pm tour with reports of Residents (salmon-eating Orcas) eastbound near Victoria, BC. A little trip to the south around Cattle Pass and across the Straits (which looked as if it were a pond today)....so calm, clear views of the Olympic Mountains to the south and we met up with the whales crossing to San Juan Island. They had been traveling quite fast according to the other boats and they ended up splitting into 2 or more groups, with some whales moving towards the southern half of the island and other northbound up Haro Strait. The Orcas were quite spread out in all directions....apparently it was J pod and K pod. (I'm still getting back into the swing of identifying these guys.)

We had some wonderful views of 2 younger calves playing in the currents where the kelp was collecting, along with logs and other debris. One even draped a bit of kelp across its dorsal fin!! There was some breaching, tail slaps and just some great looks at the whales.

We moved north, from one group to another and left them off of Kellet Bluff, Henry Island as we looped around the north side of San Juan Island. A peek at 2 Bald Eagles posing side by side at the top of a tree on Sentinel Island. What a picture that was!! And off we were back to Friday Harbor, having circled San Juan Island.


Then the 5:30 pm Sunset Tour. Wow! This is why I absolutely love the evening trips. It was one of those nights where there was no wind, the seas were like glass, and the clouds cleared so I could finally see Mount Baker in all its glory in the Cascade Range! J pod had covered some ground and was up in the Canadian Gulf Islands. So to Canada we went. We had a small intimate group of people on the boat who got one of the best shows I've seen in a long time! We were able to watch J27 (Blackberry) who at 18 is turning into quite the large male. Along with J27 was his sister J31 and a sprouter male who I believe was J34, and a few others I didn't ID. There were actively spy hopping, rolling, foraging, and moving northbound.

The unfortunate part of this experience was a private boater that was much too close to the whales, who continued to pursue the Orcas and park as close as possible to the animals. It is illegal for any vessel to be within a 100 yards of these Endangered Southern Community of Killer Whales (pods J, K, L). Many folks don't realize that this is law and the point being we want to give the Orcas enough space so that we boaters are not causing them to alter their normal behavior. Hopefully as more people learn this, we will all be more conscience of how we conduct ourselves around the whales.

We were able to also get great looks at J26, the other 18 year old male with his mom J16 and younger sibling J42. Again very active tonight! Breach after breach, even by the little calf! The next family group included J17, J28, and newborn J44? I kept looking for the little one but the glare on the water against the dark rocky shoreline made it difficult. By now we were nearing Active Pass and it was time to head home.

Our guests on board were frantically snapping photos trying to capture all the activity and I couldn't believe how lucky we were!! What a beautiful and special day in the San Juans.

-Jaclyn, naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Active Orcas

Today was a great orca viewing day. The whales were doing back dives and breaches!!! They were also traveling fairly fast. Both the guests and I very interesting to watch. Everyone on the boat was very impressed with J-pod.

J-pod is one of the three pods that make up the southern resident killer whale community. These killer whales are actually fish eaters, they do not prey on marine mammals. These orcas have been listed as an endangered species in both Canada and the United States.

On the way back to Friday Harbor we took a look at the Cactus Islands and saw a couple of bald eagles. We even saw a bald eagle in the nest feeding its eaglet.

Naturalist Jeannette
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Resident Orcas on the west side!

What a day, what a day! Sunday morning started with a morning downpour, but by 1 pm it was sunshine with clearing skies!

On our way around the island we stopped for magnificient views of Bald Eagles, both mature adults and immature subadults all in trees near a washed up Harbor Seal carcass. The eagles really are scavengers first, predators second.

Then we spent our afternoon on the northwest corner of San Juan Island in Speiden Channel with Southern Resident Orcas from J & L pods!! These are the fish-eating pods that frequent the area in the summer months to feast on salmon that travel through our waterways. So if we're seeing these Orcas, hopefully it means they are finding enough salmon here and will stick around for the rest of the season! (Currently our 3 pods that make up this Southern Resident Community of Killer Whales are endangered, one threat being decreasing salmon populations.)

J pod was just passing Henry Island and playing in a rip or current where presumbably they were fishing. They were very active....changing direction, tail slapping, and even some logging at the surface by 1 or 2 whales. They continued north forming tight groups and picked up speed with a few Orcas porpoising out of the water with force. Then slowing again....more activity....even a few breaches! The L12 subgroup was not far behind also traveling north. I didn't identify the 2 K pod animals, K20 & K38, but other boat captains said they were also in the mix, traveling with the J pod. Very interesting...I think we're all still wondering where the rest of K pod is and why these 2 animals have been without them lately. Either way it was a truly beautiful sight to observe them. We were also able to drop our hydrophone in and pick up some clicks (echolocation used in hunting) and hear a few squeals and whistles (communication between the whales).

After viewing the Killer Whales we had some extra time to tour through the islands on our way back to Friday Harbor. More eagles, interesting currents, and harbor seals swimming in kelp were all a part of our safari! A perfect Sunday afternoon.

-Jaclyn, naturalist

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Crew Capers

Some days you get to see whales and some days turn out a little differently. I had the opportunity to work on a different boat today and see some new areas of the islands. Naknek Diving was chartered as a water taxi and Capt. Kurt needed a mate to help with the trip; since I was available and eager to go, I got the job.

The MV Naknek is a wooden boat and is fitted up in a much different manner than the MV Sea Lion. As a dive boat there are racks for tanks and gear, a stove to cook your fresh caught lunch on and tubs of water to rinse the salt off of equipment and people. I was hoping that Deco the border collie cross was going to get to go with us, but he had to stay and man the office.

Since the Orcas and other marine mammals are not as prevalent among the inner islands I have not been in and around them much. It was beautiful to see the varied coastlines and quaint little Orcas Village. The taxi services were needed for a group of people that were visiting Canoe Island at the south end of Shaw Island for an open house at the French camp. The captain and I were invited up to see the camp and then had a delicious gourmet lunch overlooking the pool and surrounding islands. The setting was stunning and the trip as a whole was a relaxing change from my regular trips as a naturalist. It is so true that one never gets tired of the islands.

So, from Naknek Diving, San Juan Safaris and myself, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

What's Going On - San Juan Island

For starters: June 20 Saturday 6 PM to Dusk Orca Sing! Tomorrow at Lime Kiln State Park. Wait for whales while listening to City Cantabile Choir. ( a donation would be great) June 23 Tuesday 6:30 PM Seattle Aquarium (sponsored by Orca Network_ A look at what has bee learned about our Southern Resident Killer Whales July 1 Wednesday 7 PM The Whale Museum, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island Lecture on Elephant Seals by Dr. Joe Gaydos of SeaDoc Society.

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Minke Maneuvers

Our evening sunset tours are very popular, but after tonight they are going to be the talk of the town. It is not every day that less than five minutes after you leave the dock you are with a whale. But on this night, that is exactly what happened. Capt. Nancy and I boarded our guests onto the MV Sea Lion for an evening cruise in the hopes that the Orcas that we knew were west of Victoria, B.C. would swim our direction. I had just finished giving the group some history on the islands and was stowing the gear when a customer on the bow yelled "WHALE". Capt. Nancy and I assumed it was a porpoise or a seal, because how could it be a whale, we were in Friday Harbor. But sure enough, up it came again and the blow gave it away as a whale.

As it turns out there was a Minke Whale feeding right in the mouth of the harbor. It slowly circled the boat in a feeding pattern as we drifted in the current. It would breathe once and then dive for approximately 2 minutes. The captain and I agreed that we had never heard of something like this happening before. Of course, just a few nights before I had watched a Harbor Seal feeding on a Herring bait ball right in the marina. The fish were right up next to the floating dock amidst the boats and the seal was maneuvering effortlessly through the water slurping up it's dinner. If it had followed the food into the harbor, there was no reason that the Minke couldn't do the same thing. Being only 30' long there is more than enough room in the channel for the whale to swim and move.

The rest of our tour was full of porpoises, eagles and we even caught a glimpse of some of the Sika and Fallow Deer on Spieden Island. The eaglet looks as good as ever in the nest on Spieden as well, and was busy chowing down on some dinner that a parent flew into it while we were watching. It looked as if snake was on the menu tonight.

The bounty and beauty of the islands is unsurpassed and we are all proud to call it home. So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris to all of you who dream to visit, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Gray Whales And A Submarine

We went to Whidbey Island, near the Whidbey Island Navel Base, to see not one, but two gray whales.

One appeared to be a bit larger than the other. Gray whales are amazing animals.

While there, we also saw some very cool Navy Jets flying right over us!!! On the way back we spotted a submarine... I had to take a couple of double takes but sure enough it was a submarine. After our submarine encounter we then headed toward Long Island and found a bald eagle.

On Whale Rocks we saw another bald eagle and some harbor seals hauled out.
Another beautiful day on the water and a great adventure with San Juan Safaris!!!

Naturalist Jeannette
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

An Orca Breach

L pod was near False Bay (on San Juan Island) today.
L pod is one of the three pods that make up the Southern Resident Killer Whales. Southern Resident killer whales were listed as an endangered species in the united states in November of 2005. There are a number of threats to these animals, but two declining fish populations and contamination are the largest contributors.

Today we were able to identify L-78, Gaia, a male. We also saw a breach by what appeared to be a youngster! The young orcas are so playful.

On the way back we took a quick detour to the Cactus Islands and saw some Harlequin Ducks- these ducks are so beautiful.

It was a great day for wildlife viewing.


Naturalist Jeannette
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

5:30 sunset whale watch tour Tuesday July 16, 2009

Captain Craig just gave me the lowdown about last evenings whale watching tour.

The Resident Killer whale "L" pod (or part of the pod) were viewed last evening on our 5:30 sunset whale watching tour. The boat took off about 5:30. At that point the orca whales were about 3 miles east of Sooke in Canada heading east - our way. When we caught up to them they were near Discovery Island.

Captain Craig said the water by Discovery Island was a bit choppy, but and hour or so into the tour the water had layed down.


The guests had very good looks at 4 of the orcas. More orca were seen from a distance. The whales kept coming east - so that by the end of the tour the boat was near San Juan Island again. Even though we had to travel a good distance, we were still back at the dock around 8:30 pm.




Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Minke Whales, Seals, & Eagles!

It was a perfect day to spot and see marine mammals: no wind, calm seas, and overcast skies, so there was little glare on the water.

We left Friday Harbor with a report of Minke Whales to the south at Hein Bank. Hein Bank is a place where it gets shallow due to an underwater sea mount or bank...there's kelp growing here and plenty of places for smaller fish and animals to hide around. For this reason it tends to be a great place for marine birds, seals, and Minke whales to feed! There were plenty of Glaucous winged Gulls and Rhinoceros Auklets sitting on the surface of the water when we arrived. In fact the seas were so smooth and glassy that you could see seabirds all around! We had a couple of great views of at least 2 Minke whales, sporadically surfacing in different directions.

The Minke whale is one of the smallest baleen whales, no longer than 30 feet in length. It has no teeth, instead it uses baleen to filter the water for smaller fish and planktonic creatures. It will fill its mouth cavity with water (and hopefully dinner), then push the water through the baleen, which acts as a filter or sieve, leaving behind the smaller fish to swallow.

We were lucky enough to see these whales surface multiple times, although we never quite knew where to look next! They can be a little elusive since they have a random feeding pattern, zig-zagging in one direction and then another. We left Hein Bank with the beautiful snow capped Olympic Mountains behind us and made our way towards Lopez Island and San Juan Island to check on a few Bald Eagles and napping Harbor Seals before returning to Friday Harbor.

-Jaclyn, naturalist
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

A Whale Watching Guests Writes In

hay safari girl's !

i bet you all are still havin fun, hah ? i'm telling you,we really enjoyed ourself's on the "3 hr.tour",with the skipper, ginger & mary ann. the gal i was w/is from new hampshire & it was her life long dream to see a killer whale. it took her 20 yrs.to plan that trip & seeing a killer whale ment EVERYTHING to her. i'm a commercial fisherman, so i see them all the time, but i still really enjoyed myself.

anywaay, here are a few picture's i took during the trip. just wanted to share w/you.
The Great Eskimo Hunter

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Sunset and Whales

It was a beautiful evening and Capt. Craig, the guests and I rushed right out to be a part of it. Actually, we were rushing because there were reports of Orcas in the vicinity and they were moving away from us. We quick got the group on board and the MV Sea Lion under way and motored out of the harbor.

A small charter boat had followed two transient Orcas up the coast of Vancouver Island to Active Pass between Galiano and Mayne Islands, B.C. We caught up with them on the east side of the pass and had the amazing opportunity to watch as the whales surfaced and blew in the late evening sun. It turned out that we were relaxing with T20 and T21, two transient Orcas that are common to the area. T20 is a big male that is nearly 35 years old and T21 is a female just a few years younger than that.

As the sun set and shot stunning colors into the sky we marveled at the reflection caught on the whale's dorsal fins each time they surfaced. Interestingly, these two animals along with a third were part of the only recorded negative interaction between resident and transient Orcas. In the 1970s a photographer/researcher witnessed J pod chasing and attacking these transients and attempting to run them ashore. T20, 21 & 22 were finally able to use a boat as a distraction and escape and J pod was left milling and agitated.

There was none of that this night though and the scenes that these two whales afforded us will be stored as precious memories for many years to come. Until the next time, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Our inland arm of the Pacific Ocean...The Puget Sound

The Puget Sound is a very biologically diverse inland sea. We have many species of marine mammals, birds, invertebrates, algae and more.

The most popular marine mammal is the orca, which is actually the largest member of the dolphin family. Today's safari included lots of bald eagles, porpoises, seals and bull kelp (brown algae).

Bull kelp is very interesting and important to our ecosystem. It is a primary producer, using the sunlight to grow and ends up feeding many organisms. Bull kelp is also an important habitat to many animals as well. This brown algae has been known to grow 200 feet in one summer, it is very productive.

Thank You,

Naturalist Jeannette
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Let The Nights Begin!

As spring advances towards summer here and the days become longer in the San Juan Islands, we at San Juan Safaris shift into our evening sunset tours along with the lengthening sunlight. This particular Saturday marked our first late tour of the season and it was a glorious one. The sun shone through a clear sky, but the wind made jackets a necessity, especially out on the water. As Capt. Peter maneuvered us out of Friday Harbor and I talked with the guests aboard the MV Sea Lion we received a report that there was a Humpback Whale not far from us. We quickly traveled south around Turn Point and down Griffin Bay.

We were nearly to Cattle Pass when Capt. Peter slowed the boat and told us all it was time to look. It only took a minute before I spotted a blow 450 yards away at Cape San Juan. This is a beautiful protected area on the southern tip of San Juan Island. The whale was right at the edge of the current line feeding on all of the food that was being pushed through Cattle Pass with the flooding, or incoming, tide. Because the water was boiling around us with the rushing of the tide we lost track of the whale a few times, but always quickly located him again. He was also swimming in erratic patters depending on what his food was doing. Two other boats joined us out in the melee as we tracked the beautiful giant out of the pass.

Once the Humpback had moved out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca we decided to seek calmer waters. We slowly traveled up Lopez Island looking for eagles and then cruised into Parks Bay on Shaw Island. The water was like glass as the land closed around us in the little bay. At the very back of the bay we had the privilege of seeing an Osprey sitting in the top of a tree next to it's nest. Finally, it was a circuit around Yellow Island and an aerial show by juvenile and adult Bald Eagles over a nearby island as the sun sank down.

Our first evening out epitomized the tranquility of the islands and reminded us all that sometimes you need to stop and smell the roses. So, from all of us to all of you, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

A National Bird Day!!!

WOW!!! We saw so many bald eagles today... We even got a glimpse of about five in one tree.

It is so wonderful that the bald eagle populations have made such a comeback. Bald eagles were greatly affected by DDT, a pesticide, due to bio magnification. DDT was causing thinning of egg shells. Bald eagles were listed as an endangered species in 1967 and were believed to be on the brink of extinction. By 1972 DDT had been banned in the US, and on July 12, 1995 the bald eagles were reclassified as only threatened.

On June 28th, 2007 the bald eagles had recovered significantly and were delisted!!! This is a great comeback and a great lesson, changes can make a huge difference!!!

Another very exciting thing happened today, we saw a river otter. This was my first time seeing this adorable little animal in the wild.

Thank You,

Naturalist Jeannette
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

It's A Humpy!

This is a week of firsts, I am telling you. Today we were treated to another rare sighting and that was a Humpback Whale. Even the captain said she has not seen one of these in the waters directly around San Juan Island in two years. The whale did not seem to realize the frenzy that it was causing with the wildlife watching companies. Clearly it was just there to eat and not be a media star. Capt. Nancy, Jeanette and I fell under the whale's spell just like all of our guests on the MV Sea Lion. We anxiously awaited every blow and exclaimed as excitedly as anyone when we finally saw the tail fluke. The seemingly young animal was travelling, or possibly feeding, shallowly so there was only one deep dive and that is when we saw it's large beautiful tail. It was a great experience for my first humpy sighting.

When we finally tore ourselves away from the Humpback as it swam off into the sparkling waves we decided to go in search of seals and baby eagles. We cruised along the coast of Henry Island as it guarded the entrance to Roche Harbor and then over to Sentinel Rock. There we relaxed with the Harbor Seals as they indulged in an afternoon nap in the sun. A couple of Oystercatchers kept watch for yummy tidbits of food up in the rocks.

Spieden Island was quite today with it's golden grasses along the southern exposure. As we came up to the large eagle's nest a guest spotted an adult Bald Eagle cruising along the face of the island and then up into the nest. Slowly the front of the nest became visible and as the adult hopped out of the nest and onto a branch, up popped an eaglet. It is no longer grey and fluffy, but has started to get it's adult feathers. At one point it stood up tall and looked right at us with the parent sitting nearby.

What a cool day with our majestic wildlife and this week has been one wonder after another. The puffin and the Humpback and then a baby eagle. What magic abounds in this beautiful place. So, thank you from all of us to all of you and we at San Juan Safaris will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©