Whale Watching Report

"It was a gray day all around! Gray skies with ample cloud cover saved the eyes of our passengers as we began the search for Gray Whales! It wasn't long off the dock and our first (#22) of 3 whales was found moving along the shallow shelf of the Snohomish Delta! After introducing our passengers to a Gray Whale we headed north towards Camano Head where a Bald Eagle was on its nest!! Just around the corner up Saratoga Passage a Gray Whale named Patch, #49, and #531 were spotted! These two gave our guests glimpses of their heads & backs scattered with barnacles! We also got a chance to visit with a raft of over 300 Western Grebes, a raft of 30+ Surf Scoters, Cormorants, a 2 mature & 1 juvenile Bald Eagle, Harbor Seals, Mallards, and California Sea Lions!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

The conditions were perfect today for whale watching! We had glassy calm water and hazy sunshine all day. Before leaving the dock passengers saw a bald eagle perched on a piling on Jetty Island. As we headed toward Whidbey Island we found several California sea lions and harbor seals. Over the course of the day we saw many sea lions that seemed to be happy just floating lazily on the water's surface. We found our first Gray Whale, #356 just south of Camano Island. 356 was taking long dives, but we were able to get many good looks. Later we found a bald eagle and nest on Camano Head. On our way leaving the nest we spotted #356 again, and another gray whale nearby. later as we headed toward Hat island we spotted two more gray whales. We only had time for about 15 minutes with these two whales but they gave us some great photo opportunities as they surfaced close together several times. Mark (senior deckhand)was our hero today, as he spotted all 4 of our whales. Other sightings for the day include hundreds of western grebes, double crested cormorants, rhinoceros auklets, pigeon guillemots, common loons, brant, surf scoters, and one lonely common murre.

On board the Island Explorer 3 Naturalist Kate Janes reports: "Blue skies welcomed the IE3 into the waters of Port Gardner as we sought out wildlife on the first day of April! We found ourselves in Saratoga Passage heading towards Coupeville after hearing word that yesterday there were Transient Orcas in the area. Just before Coupeville we encountered Dall's Porpoise making slow dives as they searched for food, however moments later they were racing through the water spraying good size rooster tails!! After searching the area that the Transients had been seen the previous day we headed back to the southern tip of Whidbey Island were we found 2 Gray Whales!! Bringing our current Gray Whale total up to 7 individuals # 21 and #22 join previously seen #49, #356, #531, #44, and #56! We also saw: Harbor Seals, Pigeon Guillemots, Western Grebes, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Cormorants, and California Sea Lions!"