Su, Su, Su, Superpod!

It was a whalestravaganza today on the water. Orcas from the north, orcas from the south and us in the middle of it all. East Point on Saturna Island was the meeting spot and the Strait of Georgia was the playground. I was hoping that we would see all of the whales get together, but I did not think that it would actually happen. It did though and Capt. Pete, Kathy and I were there on the M/V Sea Lion to see it. Our guests saw it too, so it was a stunning day all the way around.

East Point is best known for it's lighthouse and the fact that the first orca was live captured there. Of course, they were actually trying to harpoon it, but things went awry and "Moby Doll" ended up in an aquarium. Consequently, it was very fitting to have this mass demonstration of orcas off of that point today. Blithely going about their natural processes under the comfort and protection of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the watchful eyes of the whale watch operators, Soundwatch, researchers and law enforcement.

All three resident pods were represented and they seemed thrilled to see each other. There was tail slapping and lobbing, spyhopping, breaching by young and old, and continuous mingling and vocalizing. Our hydrophone did not do justice the beauty of the sounds, but it took us down into the water with them and allowed us to be part of their world for a little while. Unfortunately, there is never enough time when we are with the orcas and we finally had to leave. It was a lovely day though and one that many guests said that they would never forget.

So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris, to all of dreamweavers out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

From Canada to the Coal Docks

It may not sound glamorous, but the day we had today on the MV Sea Lion definitely was. Capt. Craig got us out the door in a hurry since the orcas were all the way up in Active Pass between Galiano and Mayne Islands. It was petal-to-the-metal the whole way and in two hours we were northeast of the pass, out in the Strait of Georgia and I could see splashing on the horizon. It was still several minutes before we got there, but the dorsal fins and breaches were obvious well before we were on scene.

The orcas were spread out traveling in ones and twos and they must have all had their Wheaties this morning. There was one breach after another off into the distance and we had just gotten into the mix of it when one big male launched himself clean out of the water 200 yards from us. Jaclyn and I guessed it was J27 "Blackberry", but he was moving quickly away and it was hard to get a good look at the saddle patch behind his dorsal fin.

There did not seem to be much feeding going on this afternoon, as all of the animals were travelling very quickly and we did not see the erratic behavior that we normally would. Obviously, there was some important event that they all had to get to since they took us across the strait towards the coal docks and Tsawwassen ferry dock and we finally had to bid them goodbye. They continued their rapid trek and we turned for home and made the long, but truly lovely journey back to Friday Harbor.

It was all water and whales today and a boat load of wonderful guests. So, from all of us here at San Juan Safaris, to all of you water babies out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

The Wonder of Whales

How do you measure the quality of a moment? What is it that makes some indelible and others ephemeral? Why aren't all moments created equal?

Today was one of those types of days. It was grey and overcast with a little bit of rain in the air. The water was steely but calm and nature seemed to be holding it's breath. An eagle floated slowly past, harbor porpoises surfaced erratically and the breezes were still. There was a sense of bridled anticipation coming from the guests, the crew and even from the boat itself. Would the whales move out of range? Would we have traveled all those miles simply to see empty ocean? Would our memories be restricted to the wind and the waves?

Alas, no, the other companies had not led us astray. As we cleared Boundary Pass and entered the Strait of Georgia there were the other wildlife watching boats and whale blows and Orca dorsal fins could be seen amongst them. We slowly joined the throng so as not to disturb the magic that the whales cast over everyone and took our place in the moment. It did not take us long to realize that there were family groups spread everywhere and that you had to keep your eyes moving to take it all in. We saw J1 "Ruffles", J28 "Polaris" and J26 "Mike" among others. All of J pod seemed to be there with some extras as well. The animals were excitable and transferred that energy to us through their breaches and spyhops, tail slaps and splashes.

As always our time with the Orcas seemed too short, but soon we had been there nearly an hour and it was time to head back. We slowly departed the dream-like scene just as we had arrived and watched as the whales and their human sentinels faded into the foggy background. Our minds cataloging and storing the precious memories that we had just amassed. So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris to all of you dreamers out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©