Written by Traci
on Apr 02, 2016

Western Prince II: April 2, 2016: Windy day with whales!

Western Prince II: April 2, 2016: Windy day with whales!

We had reports of Killer whales in the area on the west side of San Juan Island and these orcas were slowly moving to the north. This was a good thing, as we had heard that on the south end it was quite choppy. We were able to shoot around the top of San Juan Island and then come south a little to catch them near Henry Island. The chop had picked up at that time, but we were still able to see J28 (Polaris) and her kids, J46 (Star), and J54. It was fun watching them in the swells and it looked like they were doing a little foraging too. When we moved on back  into calmer waters, we had quite an amazing Steller sea lion encounter! Near Spieden island there were sea lions everywhere actively fishing and ripping apart their meal with gulls hovering above trying to get some morsels. As we were going slow, a sea lion came out of nowhere from the depths near the boat with a Dogfish shark. He then proceeded to fling it around, ripping the shark in half. One half he swallowed in one gulp, then the other. It was a truly amazing moment to witness. Lots of great looks at Bald eagles and Harbor seals too!

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Written by Traci
on Apr 02, 2016

Western Prince II: April 2, 2016: Windy day with whales!

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