San Juan Whale Watching

Today all three pods were back together again and headed north towards the Fraser River.  We caught up with them between East Point and Point Roberts.  It was one of those days when everywhere you looked to could see groups of about 6-8 whales traveling by.  Here are my shots from today and here is a wonderful report from my naturalist Shann, who is a wonderful writer:

I always tell passengers they are in the middle of a remarkable transboundary ecosystem called the Salish Sea, the primary spring-summer-fall territory of the Southern Resident Population of Orcas.  The San Juan Islands lie in the middle of this inland sea, which encompasses Puget Sound as well as the long arm of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the south portion of the Strait of Georgia. I am always privileged and honored to be able to tour the orca’s home. The more I see it the more I respect and appreciate seeing it from their perspective. The very fact that we have orcas whales here at all is a testament to the remarkable and bountiful productivity of the Salish Sea.

On Wednesday, August 27, crew and passengers were treated to clear and gorgeous conditions after our day of rain. Captain Ivan told us the whales were going north up Boundary Pass toward the Fraser River.  We caught up with them at East Point, off Saturna Island. With Canada on the right, and the U.S., it was a perfect example of the seamless nature of this bioregion. We first enjoyed paralleling Mega (L-41) and his two sisters, Matia (L-77) and Calypso (L-94). At 31, Mega very much lives up to his name, big –and beautiful — and is almost always in the company of his siblings.  Next we moved north of the whales so that we could watch them pass by.

These days, being with L-Pod is absolutely stunning. So many big fins! We can go from one season to the next and suddenly, that sprouting fin is nearly as big as the adult males. Our binoculars and cameras fill up with the parade of them, 19-year old Gaia (L-78) and his 15-year old brother Wavewalker (L-88), wavy-finned Flash (L-73) and cousins

22-year old Sannich (L-74) and 18-year old Nyssa (L-84). And mixed right in with them, Cappuccino (K-21)! Of course, with orcas, it’s those smaller female fins that hold the pods together, and so, we are always excited to see Ino (L-54) and little Coho (L-108), not to mention the matriarch of the L-12’s, 75-year old Alexis (L-12). I love knowing their ages and relationships, thanks to the center for Whale Research.

It was a magnificent day on the water. Sometimes, people ask me if I ever tire of the beauty. The answer is quite simply, no. Never.

Shann Weston, Marine Naturalist