It has been a few days since we have seen L pod (or the Southern Residents in general)  and we can only assume that means they have gone off in search of food in the Pacific, but today we were in luck!  This  afternoon reports came in that they were headed towards San Juan Island. As we headed off for our afternoon trip we decided to go south around the tip of San Juan Island and over to false bay to greet them. Before we could get there we stumbled upon a stellar sea lion swimming...

We saw a minke whale on the west side of Waldron Island today!  Although there weren't any reports of orcas, we still managed to see a lot of marine wildlife.  We rarely see minke whales this many days in a row.  They are solitary travelers and can hold their breathe for long periods.  So when they come to the surface for air, you can't help but get excited.  Our guests had some spectacular views of the minke today.  We spent a while with the whale and then headed towards the Cactus...

Today, we actually saw whales as opposed to the black and white dolphins known as 'orcinus orca.' Whales and dolphins are classified according to two things; their size, with porpoise being the smallest, dolphins being mid sized and whales being the largest, with the Blue Whale being the largest mammal ever known to exist. The other thing they are classified according to is their feeding apparatus. The only whale that has teeth is the Sperm Whale. So if it has teeth and it's not a...

I know, you are probably wondering what in the world that word is and how it could possibly be pronounced.  Well, both fall under the category of easy to explain.  Mysticetes (MISS-ti-seats or MICE-ti-seats) are baleen whales that filter feed on small prey items.  Of course, all baleen whales are filter feeders, that is what baleen is for, the difference comes in what they are filtering out of the waters.

Humpback Whale mouth with baleen. Photo courtesy of kidcyber.com.au

The...

I went out with an especially cheerful group of people who were 0ld friends with eachother. In 1992, they flew around the world in small planes, over Russia. Now they get together every year, and this year they got together in San Juan and chartered the Kittiwake. The name of their group was the International Friggin' Crazy Flying Club. So as you can imagine, they were a fun group to go out with.

When we left, it was gray, a thin blanket over everything, but relatively warm. The...

Last evening we headed towards the southern tip of San Juan where Cattle Point Lighthouse is located. This is our last week of sunset tours and I'm really going to miss the way that lighthouse looks against a setting sun. That thought was interrupted when we spotted Stellar Sea Lions showing off their large bodies on Whale Rocks. These sea lions can weigh up to 2200 lbs! We continued up the west side of San Juan where we encountered the L-pod around False Bay. The whales were widely spread out...

It has been said by the locals that this is the largest run of Sockeye Salmon we've EVER had (at least in a lifetime). Everywhere you looked off the west side today, there were purseiners, fish jumping and orcas feeding. Fat and happy whales, they lolled about slowly, on long dives, taking their time, scooping up all of the salmon that would fit in their conically toothed mouths. Some of them must be eating for two. We can't see when an orca is gestating because they have a large...

What a great show we got from the transient Orcas today! It's not everyday that we get to see these whales since they visit our area less frequently than the resident Orcas. The transient orcas dine on marine mammals like the harbor seals, harbor and dalls porpoise, sea lions and minke whales. Today they exhibited their hunting skills as we watched them circle a small island where harbor seals were hauled out. One female came very close to the island got right next to the seals and...

Some days defy description.  They so far exceed one's expectations or beliefs that they become entrenched in the realm of fantasy.  I had the distinct honor of witnessing one of those days today.  As part of the crew of the M/V Sea Lion I got to assist a guest in surprising his girlfriend with a marriage proposal and then we watched the most amazing orca display that I have ever seen.  There were dozens of killer whales traveling through a series of passages where we rarely, if...

This summer I really can't get orcas off my mind.  We have had whale sightings pretty much every day.  I even dream about orcas!  It must mean something when your dreams reflect reality.  Life is good.  Especially on a sunny day in the San Juans.  Today we encountered the orcas on the north end of San Juan traveling towards Turn Point on Stuart Island.  They were side by side in a large group of at least ten. Casey and I identified L54 and her calf L108.  We also caught glimpses of...