Alone Time- With Orca Whales

Here is a map showing just how far from San Juan Island we went to view orca whales.

Today was an absolutely incredible trip! The Sea Lion and crew departed at 1:30 (to better accommodate our guests this trip) and headed straight for Point Roberts in hopes of meeting J-Pod who was at the coal docks and travelling south towards the Rosario Strait. We had to move full speed to get to J-Pod in time, and since we couldn't stop, Megan and Nancy (the naturalists for the day) answered orca and other wildlife questions. Our crew couldn't have planned a better encounter because as we approached J-Pod the sun came out and the other boats had to leave the scene to get their guests back in time. This meant we had J-Pod to ourselves! The water was flat calm and the orcas glided past us effortlessly, their blows being the only sound besides the water lapping softly against the Sea Lion. We got positive ID's on J-1, J-2, J-16, J-42, J-26, and J-11. J-26, aka Mike, also breached over five times right in front of us!!!!! They were spy hopping, pec slapping, tail lobbing, breaching, and cartwheeling about. They literally put on one of the greatest shows to date and we were the only ones watching... it felt like we were spying on them. The guests were thrilled with the experience and they weren't alone, our whole crew was moved by the experience as well and look forward to seeing J-Pod again.

The more time we spend with the orcas, the more fascinating they become. It almost felt like today they were just as interested in us as we were in them. Maybe they do more people watching than we think. I wonder if they are trying to ID us as well....

Megan, Naturalist