Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

What a day to see gray. A whale that is. As our balmy (82 degrees F, 28% humidity) weather continues here in the San Juan Islands we took to the seas to find cool breezes and cool animals. True to our Pacific Northwest abundance we were not disappointed. Craig expertly captained the MV Sea Lion while Jeanette and I performed for the crowd. Our boisterous group of guests, along with Junior Mariners, were super wildlife spotters and found lots of things for everyone to see.

The waters...

Gray whale today near Whitbey Island Naval Base.

These whales have a streamlined body with a narrow, tapered head. Gray whales are always great to watch. We observed the whale foraging. We even saw the whales fluke.

Gray whales are bottom sediment feeders. The whale exhibited the predictable breathing pattern. Gray whales are a mysticete or baleen whale and have two blow holes.

Sometimes you can see a heart or v-shaped spray shape. This is really cool... We also got to see some harbor...

Today we left Friday Harbor at about 1 pm and headed out south past Cattle Point in the Strait of Juan De Fuca.
We found some Transient orcas! These orca usually hang near Canada and usually in a small bunch 5 to 6 whales.
I think we counted about 12 to 16 individuals traveling all together and from what I have read and heard this is rare.

The transient orcas were amazing. I was really impressed with them. Our guests were very excited about their encounter. On the way back our...

What a nice cozy trip we had today on the MV Kittiwake. With thirteen super guests, Capt. Craig at the helm and me sharing all of the knowledge that I could, there was no way we could have anything other than a great day. On a 32' boat everyone gets to be fast friends and the nice small group is almost like a private charter.

With the Orcas still busy at sea and the South end of the island fogged in we set off to find our kicks elsewhere. And what a time we had. There were Bald...

It was all sunshine and smiles again today on the MV Sea Lion as Capt. Nancy took Ashley, a great group of guests and me over to Whidbey Island for some more Gray Whale watching. As almost always there was a little bit of chop to the water as we motored through Cattle Pass, but it was smooth sailing after that. We got great looks at Mt. Baker and the Olympic Peninsula, but clouds to the South obscured Mt. Rainier today. The last few days have definitely lent credence to the old...

Wow, what a day. Our sun was back in full force today and the rough waters that we have been braving in the Strait of Juan de Fuca have given way to a lovely calm. The Orcas are still off on a whirlwind tour of the open ocean, but that did not stop us from seeing whales.

Capt. Nancy, Jeanette and myself motored South with a happy, lively group of visitors aboard the MV Sea Lion. We were off to investigate reports of a lone Gray Whale feeding off of the beach on Whidbey Island just...

Today was a great trip for all those bird lovers. We saw bald eagles in the trees, on the rocks, flying, and in their nests.

On Spieden Island, just north of San Juan Island, we saw the Mouflon sheep and non indiginous deer. On the backside or north side of Spied in the Cactus Islands we saw bald eagles, harbor seals and bull kelp.
We were also lucky enough to see a California Seal Lion right outside of Friday Harbor. Not only did we see great wildlife but we had great warm and sunny...

Savoring the last day of Memorial Day weekend, Capt. Craig, Tristen, and I departed Friday Harbor aboard the MV Sea Lion with a boat full of guests, excited to see orcas. Yesterday was a new moon and today we had tide fluctuation of 12 feet (a -3.22 low) so we pushed on through choppy Cattle Pass, determined to catch up with J Pod. We reached J1, Ruffles, while parallel with the northen most portion of American Camp on the southern end of San Juan Island.

J Pod was busy foraging...

Here is the outstanding Elliott Bay Pipe Band performing in Friday Harbor on Memorial Day 2009. They were the prelude to another great parade and holiday on San Juan Island. From all of us here at San Juan Safaris we will...

See You In The Islands!

~Tristen, Naturalist

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. © San Juan Island near Seattle: Home to the Southern Resident Killer Whales

J-pod off the West side of San Juan Island near Lime Kiln State Park. J-pod was fairly spread out but great to watch. We took a trip past the North side of Spieden Island and the Cactus Islands. The North side of Spieden is very different from the south side. There is more shade, less evaporation and has evergreen trees. We encountered some Mouflon sheep, a non-indigenous animal to the island that are believed to be the ancestor of all modern day sheep breeds. We saw them near...