Whale Watching Report

An Up and Coming Male (Blackberry- J27)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"It was a double header today with both great visits with a Minke Whale & the Orcas of J pod!! Today we found ourselves in the Strait of Juan de Fuca within sight of the Orcas when a guest spotted a Minke Whale off Salmon Bank!! Watching as this approximately 25 foot whale moved around the boat feeding on the shelf of Salmon Bank that had formed thousands of years ago thanks to the glaciers! After numerous great looks at the Minke we continued just a bit further north to where the Orcas were milling about! The first whale we encountered was Shashi (J19) and her little 3 year old Eclipse (J41). Our guests however spent the most time watching Oreo (J22) and her family move in unison! Traveling with her was her niece Rhapsody (J32), her son Doublestuff (J34), and her daughter Cookie (J38). All 25 members of J pod milled in the waters surrounding the boat, then a decision was made to head north. We also spent time with Blackberry (J27), Samish (J14), Hy'shqa (J37), Suttles (J40) & Riptide (J30). Our guests also enjoyed the company of Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Pacific Loons, Bull Kelp, Pacific Madrone Trees, Common Murres, Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles, Harbor Porpoise, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Canada Geese, Pelagic & Double-crested Cormorants!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

"The wildlife met us at the dock today! As Captain Carl was introducing the crew & giving an overview of the Island Explorer 3 a mature Bald Eagle passed just behind him!! This massive raptor with one swift move skimmed the surface of the marina water and came up with a fish in its talons!! We soon were underway and within the first hour had found 8 more mature Bald Eagles!! Needless to say it was the day of the eagle- with a total of 14 throughout the course of our trip! We ventured up the north side of Guemes Island into the Strait of Georgia and set our course towards Point Roberts. The waters were teeming with wildlife as we watched a Harbor Seal finishing its meal at the surface, enjoyed the company of 2 lazy California Sea Lions on a channel marker and watched as Harbor Porpoise moved quickly through the water surrounding the boat! We found the Orcas of J pod in calm waters and under blue skies just south of Point Roberts. With the whales spread out we selected the eastern most group to first visit with. Our guests enjoyed great looks at Riptide, J30, & his younger sister Suttles, J40. At one point all the members of J pod displayed their ability to hold their breath beyond 5 minutes- we were convinced they were deciding whether to go south via Boundary Pass or continue southward through the Strait of Georgia!! Next thing we knew they were up and Blackberry, a 17 year old male was in close proximity to us!! Our guests enjoyed breaches, pec slaps, spyhops, and a surprise pass under the boat by Riptide!! We also saw on this beautiful day Pacific Loons, Glaucous-winged Gulls, 2 pairs of Marbled Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pelagic Cormorants, Common Loons, & Turkey Vultures!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

The wind was blowing cold today and we decided to start our trip by going through the inner San Juan Islands for some protection from the wind. As we entered the San Juans the sun broke out of the clouds and we had it for the rest of the trip. Inside the islands we saw a couple of bald eagles. Eventually we found J-pod swimming quickly southward just north of Henry Island. They were moving 8-10 knots at the time and seemed to keep up that pace for the majority of the time we were with them. They were very spread out over a couple of miles, and at times it was hard to keep track of where they all were at. J28, Polaris, came out of nowhere to pay us a close up visit. Later we paralleled Ruffles, J1, for about 15 minutes as his head came high out of the water several times to clear the surface chop. We also saw a couple of orcas breaching off in the distance near the middle of Haro Strait. On our way back to the dock we had more excitement. Many of the animals on Speiden Island were out feeding in the grass. The mouflon rams were hanging out on the eastern point of Speiden Island in clear view. On our way back through the islands we saw about 8 bald eagles. As we went through the cone islands we saw two ospreys hanging out on their nest, and then we were in for a real surprise. A small Columbian black-tailed deer was swimming in the middle of the channel toward Shaw island. We all watched as she finally reached the shoreline at a steep, rocky spot. She slipped at first but on her second attempt she made it up on the shore, and all the passengers cheered! Other wildlife spotted today included harbor seals, turkey vultures, pigeon guillemots, rhinoceros auklets, pelagic cormorants, a great blue heron, and a belted kingfisher. Naturalist - Bart Rulon

The Island Explorer 3 is on scene with J-Pod! Stay tuned for updates from Naturalist Bart Rulon!

The sun started to come out just as we began our trip today. Our first stop was at the south end of Lopez Island, and Castle Island. A bald eagle posed for us on a tree as we rounded the southeastern corner of Lopez. Near Castle Island we saw many pigeon guillemots, a few harbor seals, and one black oystercatcher. Soon we passed by Swirl Rocks and saw a couple more harbor seals and another bald eagle perched on the very top of the rock. It wasn't much longer before we found J-pod heading north along the west side of San Juan Island. We took a look at the trailers in the group that were just south of False Bay. J26, Mike, J27, Blackberry, and J2, Granny, were hanging out together today. The trio swam together for most of the time we watched them. At one point either Mike or Blackberry breached for us two times in a row (see picture above). Soon after that all three of these members of J-pod changed their direction and came over to pay us a visit. We had the engines shut down as we watched them swim by. What a treat for everybody. Other members of J-pod did a couple of cartwheels, lots of tail lobs, and a few more breaches today. On the return trip captain Carl decided to take the scenic route back to the dock by going through the calm waters of the inner San Juan Islands. Naturalist - Bart Rulon

A little fog this morning burned-off to sunshine, a few clouds, and J-Pod Orca Whales on the Salish Sea! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details from Naturalist Bart Rulon!

"We headed out today with sunny skies and J-pod just 20 mins off the dock!!! As we came out of Guemes channel, J-Pod was entering Rosario Strait from Bellingham channel. The first subpod we encountered was Slick, Alki , Mike and little J42 (now a year old). We stayed with them till they rounded the southend of Lopez Island. They were spread out into subpod in Rosario and grouped up some as they headed around the southend. We caugh up with Granny J2 and Ruffles J1 at the southend of Lopez, they were the leaders. We sat there as all 25 members of J-pod cruised passed. There were several breaches and Granny gave us a great Spyhop!!! After the whales passed we tucked in between Lopez Island and Castle rock were we found 3 immature and 2 mature bald eagles. We also checked out the eagles nest and several harbor seals sunning themselves on the rocks. We again joined up with J-pod now off Iceberg Pt, Lopez Island. We had our grand finale with several breaches and some tail lobs! Our other wildlife sightings included: Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Turkey Vultures, Black Oystercatchers and Purple Seastars." Naturalist Jami Nagel