Captains Log - June 2006

If you have been on one of our tours, we would love to hear from you. Please give: date, tour time, what you saw. If you have photos send them. They could be placed on this page and could win our Photo Contest. One winner for kayaking and one winner for whale watching by boat

June 30, 2006 Friday
Jalyn the morning we were off of Kellet Bluff L pod first north, then south, split up, got back together, hunting maybe, porpoising quick changes. Then in the aftertoon went to south end Eagle Point, a few members of J pod, spread out, maybe a little flirting going on. They were about one mile off shore. Breaching, tail slaping &pec slapping.

June 29, 2006 Thursday
Super Pods all day today. In the morning and afternoon all tours were treated to J, K and L orcas off the west side of San Juan Island. Then. . . it happened in the evening. As you may know, superpods only happen about 4 - 5 times per year. And you may or may not know, the orcas rarely, about one time per year, go into San Juan Channel, right outside San Juan Island. Well, I was on my own boat, the Sea Lion, for the 5:30 sunset tour. We went approximately 10 mintures outside of Friday Harbor to see all 3 pods in San Juan Channel. (Eat your heart out!)
Also a plus that evening, the Olympic Mts were perfect, so was Mt. Baker and topped off with a rare view of Mt. Rainer!

June 28, 2006 Wednesday
We saw whales, but I did not yet get the individual reports.

June 27, 2006 Tuesday
Got the scoop from Captain Pouillon (aka Frenchie). He took the Sea Lion out yesterday and today. Said today was ditto of yesterday. Captain Cal had the Kittiwake (aka kitty) out. Saw the same as yesterday twice today, again. Meanwhile, I have not been diligent in reporting all the kayaking/whale watching that has been going on. Rebecca has now been re-named to "the whale princess". Oh yeah, she's been seeing whales from kayaks and so have all her guests with her! SIX days in a row and one of the tour was a 3-hour, not the 5-hour Orca Search by Kayak. Go Becca!

June 26, 2006 Monday
Have a quote from Captain Cal: "L-57 took on the girls of J pod" He says they were out by Kellet's Bluff (Henry Island). Both of Cal's trip today were all about mating today. His first tour was at 10 am then he went out again at 2 pm. Our 1:00 Sea Lion guests had the same show.

June 25, 2006 Sunday
The morning charter did not see whales at 10:00 am. The orcas were WAY up north. Captain Nancy did her best, but boy, they were reported going about 10 knots away from any of us. Later that day we did see them (J) off Stuart Island.

June 24, 2006 Saturday
J's and L's were in in Rosario off Lumi Island. It makes for a long trip, but we did see them.

June 23, 2006 Friday
Today Traci tells me that they saw the J pod on the west side of Henry Island near Roche Harbor. It was J pod. She says that got a great look at the orca named Granny and also the youngsters. They were traveling north. Traci also mentioned that lots of fallow deer were seen on that tour on Speiden Island. They also saw bald eagles, seals and sea birds.
Captain Nancy on the Kittiwake out of Roche Harbor just told me they were viewing J pod way north by Mullet.

June 22, 2006 Thursday
Well, we are starting to call Rebecca the "whale princess". Today on her 3-hour Wildlife Tour by Kayak she and her guests saw whales about 11:30 today just outside of Roche Harbor. The were again on the west side of Henry Island, just outside of Roche Harbor. She said it looked like they were resting or logging. Up for a breath, then down about 10 minutes, repeatedly. Once they started to stir she and guests saw and heard a big WAP from a tail slap. Rebecca says that a mama and baby came by them quite close as they had broken away from the main pod.
The 11:00 whale watching boat from Roche was treated to the same whales as Rebecca. The whales then took off and went north at a good speed. The 1:00 whale watching tour did not end up seeing the whales. When they took off earlier in the day, they high tailed it north so fast they were 'gone'. Our 5:30 sunset tour is on the water now. What a great night to be out. We will see if they catch sight of the orca whales.

June 21, 2006 Wednesday
Rebecca, the guide for the 5-hour Orca Search by Kayak reported excitedly that she and her four guests saw whales today. It was K pod and they were right outside of Roche Harbor off the west side of Henry Island. Rebecca said they were eating their lunch on a beach when she thought she saw dorsals off in the distance. They packed up their belongings and started paddling. When they reached Haro Straight, she had the guests raft up. Whales came by and five of them came up quite close to them. The whales had originally swam north at a good clip. They were on their way back south when Rebecca's group saw them. Our 11:00 tour saw the same whales. The 1:00 tour and the big wedding charter at 3:00 saw the same group too. There was a 'False Killer Whale' sighting reported but it was way south in Canadian waters.

June 20, 2006 Tuesday
K pod off of Point Roberts. Mother and baby spotted. The sunset tour was treated to orcas off the south end of Lopez.

June 19, 2006
Naturalist Anna reports that the 1:00 from Friday Harbor saw J pod off Eagle Cove (way south on San Juan Island). They were feeding, moving fast she says. Mike and Keet did circles around the boat. Anna thinks there were probably salmon hiding under the boat.

June 18, 2006
J pod started out our morning tour near Roche Harbor off Henry Island. Later that afternoon J-Pod was about 1.5 miles off shore of False Bay. They then went towards Salmon Bank towards Canada, with most of the J's spread out over a large distance. Some juveniles were practicing breaching. Lots of evidence of foraging going on.

June 17, 2006
We had J pod today. They were spread out at the south end of Lopez. One female did 2 high porpoises ending in belly flops. We also saw several really good breaches. By the evening tour we were seeing the on the south west side of San Juan Island.

June 16, 2006
J-Pod was seen as they foraged near Cherry Point. They were very spread out. Lots of breaches, tail slaps and small bursts of speed swimming (porpoising). They then headed towards Bellingham Channel.

June 15, 2006
Capt. Pouillon reports that the 1:00 from Friday Harbor saw J pod on the south end of Lumi Island today. Multiple breaches and tail lobs. He says "It was the full monte today." Naturalist Traci with Capt. Pouillon took out the 5;30 sunset tour (one of THE best and prettiest times to be on the water) that the saw J pod near Clark Point (near Cyprus and Lumi Islands). The orcas were spread out feeding. Dorsals were flying! Spieden came right up next to the boat. Four of them turned and came back headed right for the boat.

June 14, 2006
Both the 11:00 and 1:00 saw J pod, K pod and part of L pod today. Guests from the 1:00 tour, Ellie, Larry &Katie, told me that the encountered the whales just south of Lime Kiln Park. Larry said "They were close to the shore and seemed to be feeding." Katie said she saw a baby orca, Ruffles and Mike. On the way in they saw two mature bald eagles. One was perched at the tip top of a tall snag. It looked like someone had placed him there as an ornament.

Today the Center for Whale Research, Ken Balcomb, announced new orca babies: L54 with a new calf, L108 and another new calf, apparently with K28. Yeah!!
The new calf, designated L-108, is the second calf born to the 29 year-old L-54. L-54's first calf, L-100 is a young male born in 2001. According to Dr. Astrid van Ginneken of the Center for Whale Research, the calf was very energetic during it's first encounter with researchers. "The calf was maybe thirty yards behind it's mother when we first encountered it, spending a lot of time near (it's older brother) L-100 ... and it was very spunky."
June 13, 2006
Naturalist Traci says that today on her 11:00 from Roche Harbor that they met up withJ pod at False Bay. "Incredible today. Milling and headed north moving in different directions, a breach 200 yds from boat. Granny gave a perfect view of her dorsal fin and Mike bee-lined for the boat and came directly under the parked boat. He did this twice. He paused behind the boat and looked at everyone on the boat." Ashley, her sister, mother &father (Make-A-Wish) were aboard. We gave them a tour for 4 yesterday and the 1:00 was the only boat of our fleet that did not see the whales. So, we put them on again today. Her wish came true!

Meanwhile Naturalist Briana on the 1:00 tour from Friday Harbor says "We saw J pod over by False Bay. A small group came very close to the boat and gave us a good show of inverted tail slaps and lots of spy hops. The babies were adorable. There was an Eagle feeding on a seal pup near some harbor seals that were hauled out. Lots of cormorants and rhino auklets."

June 12, 2006
Captain Brian Goodremont just told me about his day. He drove the Kittiwake out of Roche Harbor. On the 11:00 tour his guests saw J pod north of Point Roberts. (so of Vancouver).
His guests on the 3:00 tour saw L pod west of Trial Island near Constance Bank.
The 1:00 from Friday Harbor, Capt Brian Poullion's and naturalist Traci's guest saw a Minke whale, porpoise, seals and eagles.
The 5:30 Sunset tour is out with L pod at Hine Back (between Discovery Island, Canada and Cattle Point, south end of San Juan Island)

June 10, 2006
J pod in Rosario Strait in the am. they were very active, physically and vocally pluslots of breaching and tumbling. Granny and Riptide were playing with the two calves, J40 and J41.
Sunset tour sees whales off Pender Island, Canada. Granny and Ruffels prominent.

June 8, 2006
We started out the day with an early charter from Roche Harbor at 10:00. That tour went to the south end of the west side of San Juan Island. There they saw J pod in the Straight of Juan de Fuca tail slapping and doing cart wheels. Naturalist Anna says the had a great look at a pair of Bald Eagles too.
The 1:00 tour from Friday Harbor say TRANSIENTS near Turn Island (east of Friday Harbor). Capt. Pouillon says when they left them they were headed south. He also says that they viewed an eagle nest with a month old fledgling in it and a parent just above being dive bombed by crows. Naturalist Margo says they saw Harbor Porpoise that did not seem shy. There was also a California Sea Lion on the oposite side of the boat from where the orcas were. Margo says he looked like he was high tailing it for some rocks.
The 3:00 tour from Roche took them north. When I spoke to naturalist Anna, she said they had visited Mandarti (we call the bird island). They had seen a bunch of Dalls Porpoise and were headed to Saturna sw to Steward where they most likely will be seeing J pod (again). Those orca do get around!

June 7, 2006
Today was a whale, whale, whale, whale, whale day!

It started off with the 10:00 charter from Friday Harbor. They saw J pod on the west side of Henry Island.
The 11:00 tour from Roche Harbor was seeing J pod down south on the west side of San Juan Island about mid way down. At that point the whales were headed back north, FAST.
The 1:00 tour found J pod west side of Henry feeding when they first pulled up then socializing. Lots of tail lobs. (the most that naturalist Anna has ever seen). A huge boat came by and one of the whales was riding their wake. What fun!
The folks from Boeing on the 1:45 charter found the whales on the north end of Battleship Island heading north.
Captain Cal on Kittiwake from Roche has a 3:30 charter and says they are just leaving the whales. They picked up the whales at Turn Point on Stuart Island and went north with the whales. They left the whales in Canadian waters near Pender Island at 5:45. The whales are still headed north.

June 6, 2006 or 666
The 1:00 just pulled in and Briana &Capt Pouillon report that they were viewing J pod on the South East side of Lopez. The say that there were many cartwheels, breaches and spy hops. Capt says " They were movin' fast!" I then spoke to Traci on the 3:00 tour from Roche Harbor. She says the were down by South Beach with J pod. The whales were at first quite spread out. After a while they moved in about 150 yards from out sitting boat. Traci says there were a couple breaches but she thought they were heavy fishing. They did a couple tail lobs and the guests had some good views of the babies and Ruffles. The 5:30 Sunset tour is about to depart. At the rate the whales are moving north, this 5:30 boat will be meeting them near Roche Harbor.

June 1, 2006
Margo just left the office and told me that she and Capt. Poulion were just south of Lopez this afternoon with J pod. She says when they first arrived, the pod was very spread out and hard to see. Then after they had been there for some time viewing tons of harbor seals and rhinocerous auklets, J pod came closer into 3 tighter groups. There was spy hoping and the usual frolics.