Once again we turned our bow towards Victoria and Canada today. The orcas, J pod to be exact, were at the Victoria Harbor heading east in a resting pattern. Capt. Craig tried to give them some time to swim to us by stopping to view other wildlife, but the orcas were swimming too slowly and we...Read more
It would be easier for me to list the animals that we did not see today, rather than to list the ones that we did. I think that the only sightings that we did not log were of the Titanic and the Loch Ness Monster. Jaclyn and I could hardly contain our excitement, which is to say that we completely...Read more
It was a whalestravaganza today on the water. Orcas from the north, orcas from the south and us in the middle of it all. East Point on Saturna Island was the meeting spot and the Strait of Georgia was the playground. I was hoping that we would see all of the whales get together, but I did not think...Read more
After what appeared to be the start of fall and winter, we are now back to the September weather that we are all so fond of. September really is the best month to see the islands and today was a perfect example of that. I welcomed a lovely group of guests onto the M/V Kittiwake this afternoon and...Read more
Leave it to wild animals to continually throw our conventional predictions about their behavior for a loop. Often I've heard myself and other naturalist speak of how the orcas "rarely pass through the San Juan Channel and prefer to travel and fish in the straits, like the Haro Strait." Well, the...Read more
September 9, 2009
I found myself remarking today, "well, I guess it is autumn now," only to have someone respond "oh, it's fall already?" Perhaps I was jumping the gun a bit, but with such a sunny hot summer the slightest bit of rain and wind getting me dreaming of fall. Today fit right in with my illusions and...Read more
Abundant wildlife in the area....but where are the whales? A question we were all asking today. With captains scouting the seas around the San Juans near and far and no sign of our Resident Orcas , we decided to give it a try to the south. Dozens of Harbor Seals and around 10 male Stellar Sea Lions...Read more
Well well well...today is more like the weather we expect for this time of year! After that little stormy spell the last 2 days we are back to calm seas and clearing skies . On our 1pm tour today we saw a nice group of big, golden, Stellar Sea Lions both hauled out and swimming in the water just...Read more