Travel Buddies

Today was nice and sunny and J-Pod graced us with their presence once again!

We left Friday Harbor for Village Point, which is on the north end of Lummi Island in the Rosario Strait. J-Pod was heading south from Village Point at a good cruising speed of about 8 mph. They were spread out front to back and surprised us when a Minke Whale popped up with them. This is a RARE occurrence and our guests had the privilege of seeing not only J-Pod, but also the smallest baleen whale. We found this ironic because the Transient Orcas have been known to eat Minke, so this particular whale must have known he was in safe fish-eating company. A group of about 7 J-Pod members were seen surfacing right next to the Minke, with no negative interactions.

Orca are the largest members of the dolphin family and are not "whales" from a scientific perspective. (Although this confuses many since they are often referred to as the Killer Whale.) So our guests got to see eagles, seals, dolphins, and a whale!!! What a treat and what an incredible day. The air is warming up, J-Pod is back, and the flowers are in bloom. It's a perfect time to be on the water! Until next time...

Megan, Naturalist