Sunny San Juan Island

What a day for whale watching. Today was one of those days that we dream about here at San Juan Safaris. The waters were calm and the sun warmed our faces as we watched individuals from J and K Pods swim along the southern and western sides of the island. Our group of guests joined Capt. Pete, Jeanette and myself on the MV Sea Lion from all over the world for a beautiful time on the water. In Cattle Pass Capt. Pete stopped the boat so that we could all see and feel the disturbance caused by the mixing of waters from different channels. The boat slowly turned in an eddy as we talked about the nutrients that well up from the deep and watched Goose Island slide by. We also made a stop at Whale Rocks to see a bull Steller's Sea Lion resting in the sun with two Bald Eagles sitting above him on the rocks. They were a gorgeous mated pair with their matching white heads and bright yellow beaks.

Then we were off to track the whales through the southern waters. The Orcas were spread out over a large area with some travelling singly or in pairs and others in family groups. One family group that we saw were swimming tightly packed together coming up for air together and then dipping back below the water. We motored on past Limekiln Lighthouse and were headed for the North end of the island when we spotted J1 "Ruffles". He was traveling by himself well ahead of the other whales and made for a very picturesque lonely sentinel.

We wrapped our day by finishing up our cirvumnavigation of the island as we came down San Juan Channel and back into Friday Harbor. We had a great day with our guests today, so thank you from all of us to all of you and 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