While our 2018 whale watching season is officially in the books, the work doesn’t stop! We have just a few short months to prepare for the 2019 whale watch and sea kayak tour season which begins on Valentine’s Day. Yes! You can already make your 2019 whale watch & wildlife tour reservations as well as guided say and multiday guided sea kayak tour reservations.
So, where do the whales go in the winter!? We get this question a ton, especially this time of year. Bigg’s mammal-hunting killer whales live in these waters all months of the year. The Bigg’s killer whales (also known as transient killer whales) have a robust food source of harbor seals, sea lions, and porpoise. Their population is growing at a rate of 5% per year with an estimated 300-500 members in the population. Incredible!
Although we historically have fewer sightings of the Southern Resident Killer Whales in November-April, in the last few days we’ve had several reports of members of J, K, and L-pods in the waters surrounding San Juan Island!
Saturday December 1st: Members of L-pod, including the seldom seen L54s, sighted in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Sooke.
Monday December 3rd: Members of K-pod sighted near Iceberg Point on the southern tip of Lopez Island
Monday December 3rd: Members of K-pod and L-pod totally about 20 whales sighted in Rosario Strait east of the San Juans in Thatcher Pass near Lopez Island.
Wednesday December 5th: Southern Residents sighted near Lopez Island.
