Whale Watching Report

Great day for us aboard the Island Explorer 3! The trip started with a California Sea Lion lazily hauled out on a channel marker in Guemes Channel. Soon after we came to an abrupt stop, while watching a harbor seal enjoy an afternoon meal of octopus in Rosario Stait. Pretty cool stuff. Our guests were afforded excellent views of the San Juan Islands today, as the trip took us through the middle passages, towards Canada. As we reached Boundary Pass we caught up with Southern Resident Orcas moving west. J1, Ruffles, was the first whale we saw, quickily moving with a group toward Blunden Island. We next visited with a mom and calf, and this turned into a great show! J28, Polaris, and her new calf, J46, were definitely the stars today. The new calf breached for us as well as giving us many great tail-lobs to witness! As we enjoyed the show, several other whales began to breach inshore, providing our passengers with a great show. As we turned to leave, we were lucky enough to see some members of L pod swimming in a resting formation. L41-Mega, L25-Ocean Sun, L77-Matia, and L78-Gaia, were present in this group. After leaving the whales we passed by Flattop Island, where four Bald Eagles were in a battle over some food on the shoreline. Overall, another fantastic trip!

-Michael Colahan