Yesterday the island was buzzing with news that the resident orca pods were making their official entrance to the Salish Sea summer feeding grounds. Whale watchers aboard our M/V “Sea Lion” reported back with enthusiasm that they had witnessed a playful J pod crossing Haro Strait toward the west side of San Juan Island.

Naturally, when Captain Mike received word of a large group of orcas near Vancouver, British Columbia, we assumed it was J pod again, following their ancient and...

Well today we left our Friday Harbor slip with word of J pod of our southern resident community traveling east near Victoria.
This is exciting news being that J pod hasn't been seen in our area since March 10th.
Resident eco-type Orcas need to consume large quantities of Chinook salmon, up to 300 pounds or more for an adult Orca. Spending the spring time out along the coastal areas feeding on salmon, we've been eagerly awaiting their return and today was the day.
We caught up to J...

Our guests have been lucking out lately!  Bigg’s Killer Whales, with their erratic diving behavior and extended dives, can be a challenge to view at times.  However, observers who are lucky enough to see orcas locate prey and witness the gritty details of a kill easily get their fill of whale watching.  Often, killer whales with their prey can be analogous to a cat and mouse.  The process can be drawn out and grisly.  I get exhausted just watching them!

Today the Transients were...

The same group of marine mammal-eating Transients (the T49Bs and T65As) that "wowed" us yesterday demonstrated their hunting prowess again today outside of Sidney, British Columbia. Just before coming upon the gang we witnessed several Harbor Porpoise in the area. The orcas began to breach and moved inshore where it appeared that they pinned their prey right up against the beach. Our hardy guests enjoyed the show despite the driving wind and rain and huddled back in our vessel's...

We left the dock again today with very little information about wildlife sightings and a fresh crew full of expectations for the day. Should we go north or south from Friday Harbor in search of wildlife? It's a question that we sweat over in the business. The Salish Sea is a big place, with animals that roam as they please, and our range limited to just a 3-4 hour time frame.

We decided to go south, as we had rumors of orcas spotted off Victoria earlier in the morning. We also had...

While cruzin' south at the south eastern tip of Vancouver bank, Captain Mike, Naturalist Caitlin, and Naturalist Andrew spotted a few Minke Whales. It appeared to be at least 3 Minkes feeding in the area. Minke whales is the second smallest of the baleen whales and can reach speeds of 18 knots. Since these animals can be extremely quick and can be quite elusive, we got extra lucky to watch them feeding for so long! On top of that we had beautiful skies and smooth seas that made for...

As we headed north out of the harbor Captain Mike got an update about a humpback whale up near the western point of Saturna Island in Canadian waters. Naturalists Emily and Kevin, and the guests on board, were please to find a juvenile humpback doing regular surfacing around every 5 minutes. With a tail fluke up, that we all though to be a long dive, the young humpback came up for a full breach! From then on we saw lots of pectoral slaps and twirling! After departing the joyful...

On this bright sunny day, Captain Brian, Naturalist Kevin, and myself, found a humpback moving North in the Haro Strait. The humpback appeared to be a juvenile moving North for the summer. Humpback whales spend their winters breeding in warmer tropical waters, and then move upwards to cooler, more productive, waters in the summer. We got extra lucky to see the juvenile moving along!

-Naturalist Caitlin

Today we observed another pair of Transient Orcas in the Straight of Juan de Fuca, off Victoria. Spotting two giant, black triangles from quite a distance, we confirmed that we were dealing with two mature bulls. When male orcas come into puberty in their early teens, they are known as “sprouters,” as their dorsal fin begins growing dramatically from about 3 feet to 5, even 6 feet! At first they exhibited the typical erratic diving behavior of hunting Transients, and then settled in...

We last spotted T20 and T21 on Friday near Active Pass, north of Mayne Island, British Columbia. Today we found the Transient pair enjoying the Victorian Waterfront.  Initially the Orcas appeared to be in resting mode, making slow northerly progress. Then they turned the opposite direction, heading toward the majestic, snow-capped Olympic mountains and the wide-open Strait of Juan de Fuca. The sea state was calm today, with sweeping views in all directions, signaling the beginning of...