Residents come back to the west side!
The rainy pacific northwest lived up to its name today. We left for the Victoria area, where the Resident Killer Whales were inbound towards our waters... and fast! Flat, calm waters in the strait, a hint of sunshine trying to peak through the clouds....
A lot of guests were interested, but upset to learn of the current threats facing our endangered population of Southern Resident Killer Whales. The decline of the Orcas' food (salmon) and the looming threat of fisheries collapsing around the world was disturbing news to our guests. For many this is a situation they were unaware of, which makes it all the more special to experience an animal like the Orca in the wild.
I always love days like today when the Residents have been somewhere offshore for days then they make their grand entrance back to the San Juans. It is a wonderful sight to see all 3 pods returning at once. Orcas' dorsals slicing through the water to the left and right! As we let them parade by, we had some great looks at K21 & K40...then later of L72 Racer, brother Nigel, and calf L105. When we caught up to the rest of the Js and Ks 3 miles off Hannah Heights they were playfully swimming through the current rip along with all the birds! In fact I've never seen so many birds on the west side as today! Gulls, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Phalaropes, Cormorants...just to name a few. There were hundreds of birds out, feeding, diving, flocking overhead. J1 & friends got a little playful...there were breaches, belly rolls and tail slaps. I still can't get over all the birds! Seemed like there was a lot of bait fish in the water, which is good news.
The wind started to pick up out of the East as we headed back for Cattle Pass. Weather is amazing. In just a few short minutes it went from glassy to 3-4 foot chop and swells! What a ride back in. Spray flying over the bow, windshield wipers going....not much rain and a peak of a rainbow over the south end of San Juan Island. Back in the protected waters between Lopez and San Juan guests were feeling lucky to have had such a great look at the Orcas with the waters previously so calm. I think (and hope) many guests left with a newfound appreciation for nature and maybe a new awareness to protect it.
-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist
A lot of guests were interested, but upset to learn of the current threats facing our endangered population of Southern Resident Killer Whales. The decline of the Orcas' food (salmon) and the looming threat of fisheries collapsing around the world was disturbing news to our guests. For many this is a situation they were unaware of, which makes it all the more special to experience an animal like the Orca in the wild.
I always love days like today when the Residents have been somewhere offshore for days then they make their grand entrance back to the San Juans. It is a wonderful sight to see all 3 pods returning at once. Orcas' dorsals slicing through the water to the left and right! As we let them parade by, we had some great looks at K21 & K40...then later of L72 Racer, brother Nigel, and calf L105. When we caught up to the rest of the Js and Ks 3 miles off Hannah Heights they were playfully swimming through the current rip along with all the birds! In fact I've never seen so many birds on the west side as today! Gulls, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Phalaropes, Cormorants...just to name a few. There were hundreds of birds out, feeding, diving, flocking overhead. J1 & friends got a little playful...there were breaches, belly rolls and tail slaps. I still can't get over all the birds! Seemed like there was a lot of bait fish in the water, which is good news.
The wind started to pick up out of the East as we headed back for Cattle Pass. Weather is amazing. In just a few short minutes it went from glassy to 3-4 foot chop and swells! What a ride back in. Spray flying over the bow, windshield wipers going....not much rain and a peak of a rainbow over the south end of San Juan Island. Back in the protected waters between Lopez and San Juan guests were feeling lucky to have had such a great look at the Orcas with the waters previously so calm. I think (and hope) many guests left with a newfound appreciation for nature and maybe a new awareness to protect it.
-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist
posted by San Juan Safaris Whale Watching at
5:03 PM
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