As the sun was looming low in the sky, the Sea Lion headed out once more to show our guests a wonderful time with our Southern Resident Killer Whales. We headed out through the whirling up-wells in the San Juan Channel and met our whales in Cattle Pass. We met them with as much excitement as they appeared to be feeling! Some L-Pod members were in the Pass; they were already breaching, tail slapping, and traveling close together. They swam increasingly close to Goose Island, jumping...

It was a beautiful day to be on the water! We left Friday Harbor and headed south through Cattle Pass and into the Haro Strait where we hoped to encounter some whales. On our way out, we came across numerous Harbor Seals that were utilizing the the upwellings created by the tidal current. These upwellings are a great place for the Harbor Seals to forage and we love seeing their little heads bobbing up and down in the water!

When we got on scene with the whales Keven and I quickly...

The Southern Resident Killer Whales came and went today.  We hussled away from the dock with reports that orcas were veering offshore of San Juan Island heading westbound.  Concerned that we might not be able to catch up with them before running out of fuel (just kidding!), Captain Craig set a straight and swift course to intercept our aquatic brethren.  We joined the fleet half way between San Juan and Discovery Island.  What a sight!  There were whales stretched out across the...

In fact, the adrenaline was pumping so hard that after the trip no one could even sit down and write a blog! Composure has been regained however, so here’s a summary.

We headed straight for the Strait of Juan de Fuca and found members of J and K pod spread out, foraging northeast of Hein Bank (48°23.07N °12303.07W). The salmon must be good, because I have never seen these animals show off their catch like they did that day.

It all started with a calf…..  him and his mother...

The Southern Residents are still in the area, and we found them today around 3:00PM heading south in Haro Strait near Kelp Reef (48°33.11N 123°13.47W). The first whales we encountered were Blackberry (J27) and Mike (J26) who had made their way into the K18s possibly trying to score a date, or at least some companions to travel with. Mike (J26) was however keeping his distance behind the group while Blackberry (J27) was right in the middle, what seemed like a nice wingman move to me!

Although the beautiful, sunny skies were replaced by clouds and grey skies today, our spirits were not dampened; we were all equipped with a sense of adventure and eager to spend the afternoon exploring the Salish Sea.  And, we were not disappointed.  Within minutes of departing Friday Harbor and entering the San Juan Channel we were rewarded with a large, male Steller Sea Lion enjoying his lunch.  The Sea Lion would emerge with a fish in his mouth, aggressively thrash the fish about...

Supposedly it’s September, but the last two mornings here have been completely blanketed by fog. All the more adventure we say!

And today it was as we headed directly for the thick of it with rumor of Black and Whites on the other side.  Once we reached Cattle Pass the eeriness set in and we were confronted with limited visibility and an immediate chill. The naturalist had everyone’s eyes peeled for creatures that may be lurking amongst the midst, an easy distraction techniqueÂ...

Southern Resident Killer Whales were spread out from Salmon Bank to False Bay today (48°26.51N, 123°02.29W). 

We viewed at least 20 individual whales but there were a number of other Killer Whales seen in all directions further in the distance.  We were in whale soup.  The whales were spread out traveling west.  There were so many whales at one point we shut off our engines, dropped the hydrophone to listen to the whales vocalize, and simply watched the whales go by.  With our...

Around 10:40 AM this morning we received a Southern Resident Killer Whale report: members of J, K, and L pod headed north in Haro Strait. We were extremely excited yet a bit uneasy knowing they were headed for Active Pass (Canada). Luckily enough by the time we boarded and headed out for the strait the whales had turned around. It couldn’t have been more perfect timing.

As we made our way into the gut of the strait, reaching a center point between Stewart, Moresby, Sidney, and...

Today we watched several members of L-Pod mill around near False Bay, San Juan Island. We got to travel with multiple groups of 1s and 2s including 3 large males and 3 females each bearing a youngster at their side. They all appeared to be very relaxed, milling around, and enjoying the simple things in life, being within the comfort of their own home. The family bond amongst them is like no other, and is quite apparent in their interaction. For these whales, it's all or none, and no...