All signs this morning pointed to heading out to see Transients, but by the time we got on the water there were reports of Residents heading in from the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We headed south and found some harbor seals lounging in the sun, as well as some very large Steller Sea Lions resting on the rocks near Cattle Pass. From there we headed up-island.
Just past Lime Kiln the water was incredibly calm with just a slight breeze. The conditions were perfect for us to shut down the engines and just sit. For about 20 minutes we watched as J's and K's swam past in groups of 2s and 3s. We were able to identify K25, J27, and K44 with his mom. Some of our passengers even caught pictures of breaches and spyhops. The group was pretty surface active and energetic. At one point as some whales surfaced a few gulls swooped in to feed on some big chunks of salmon that the Orcas had brought to the surface!
We got to head by heading north and circumnavigating San Juan Island.
Mike
Naturalist