San Juan Safaris

I did the 'Whale Plane' from Lake Union Seattle. Forty five minutes on a fantastic small sea plane, with wonderful views. Went on smaller boat from San Juan safaris with only 12 on board. We left early as we were all on board to give us the best chance of seeing the orcas.We roared off very fast, which was very exciting. The naturalist aboard was very friendly and...

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...

Wow, yet another beautiful whale filled day in the San Juans! This time of year it seems I could start every blog that way! The weather and the whales have fully cooperated and we've been blessed with fantastic trips for weeks and weeks on end!

Today I was aboard the Kittiwake with Captain Mike and a boatload of guests. We cruised southbound over toward False Bay. If you are a frequent reader of our blogs, this location will be of no surprise to you.

The Southern Resident orcas were...

The oldest member of the Southern Resident Community is named Granny. She is estimated to be a 100 years old. She is also the matriarch of J-pod. Her cohort is a 60 year old male named Ruffles. Ruffle's dorsal fin is 5 to 6 feet tall, a common measurement for adult males, as compared to the 2 to 3 foot tall dorsal fin of the average female. A juvenile male is indistinguishable from a female with the exception of their ventral markings. A small black dot on each side of the ventral...

Finally it looks like the fog may be clearing. We still had a foggy morning but it quickly cleared out and turned into a beautiful day. This afternoon was a true safari. We started off by observing some harbor seals basking in the sun...it's rough being a harbor seal! Then we moved over to whale rocks to observe a couple of stellar sea lions.  These amazing creatures can weigh between 1500-3000 lbs depending upon the sex of the animal. Sea lions are capable of "walking" on land using...

Today we traveled north towards Stuart Island.  Captain Mike stayed in close communication with the other whale watching vessels; he received many reports that the whales were in that area.  Our spirits rose with anticipation!  Shortly after we departed Friday Harbor we spotted a bald eagle soaring high above San Juan Island.  As we neared Stuart Island the orca whales were traveling south down Haro Strait.  We traveled parallel to the direction they were heading along the west side...

Today we ventured into Canadian waters, heading towards South Pender Island.  Our safari began when we spotted a Bald Eagle perched on a rocky outcropping near Spieden Island.  As Captain Mike slowed the Kittiwake, we noticed a harbor seal swimming with a small fish in its mouth!  The bull kelp swayed in the slow wake of our boat.  A 12 year old girl, with an affinity for marine wildlife, squealed when she spotted her first jellyfish.  We observed an enormous amount of activity...

Male Humpback Hawaii Herb

Head Lunge Hawaii Herb

One Orca Whale with Mountains by Herb

Saddle Patch of Orca Whale by Herb

Marine Naturalist Lauren of San Juan Safaris by Herb

Mature Bald Eagle in Flight by Herb

Mature Bald Eagle in a Tree by Herb

Sally and Casey Whale Watching Naturalists by Herb

Look for a Herbs photo of Mama Humpback carrying her baby on her rostrum (nose). Thanks Herb!

Well we are all becoming overly familiar with the Canadian waters these days.  Reports were in that once again the Orcas were near the coal docks but it was music to our ears to hear they were at least headed south our direction. It was a beautiful day for a boat ride so we didn't mind the extra time it took to reach the whales. The whales were spread out in many small groupings and very active. We saw many breaches and lots of tail slapping. It's always exciting to see but even more...

There is certainly a lot of excitement on the water today, from a variety of boats and yachts to BBQs on the shore, but most importantly..the orcas whales!  We headed to the west side of San Juan Island today to oo and awe in the presence of our resident J-pod orcas.  We spotted the orcas off every direction of the boat.  Not to mention that two bald eagles were flying above us.  The orcas were spread out from each other, occasionally joining with a family member to travel in a small...