Whale Watching Reports from Island Adventures Whale Watching Tours in the San Juan Islands

Orca Whales in Sight from Island Explorer 3!

Our guests on board the Island Explorer 3 are with the whales! Stay tuned for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes and click on this link to see the Island Explorer 3 from space!

Paying a Visit

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Georgia on My Mind (Georgia K11)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Stages of Surfacing (Oreo's Subpod)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"Our day started as we headed south down Rosario Strait towards the southern end of Lopez Island. We didn't have to venture too far to find the Orca whales of J & K pod!! The whales were spread out just between Cattle Pass & False Bay and they seemed to be just miling about in a southward direction which was great for us! One of the fit whales we visited with was Raggedy (K40). She is unmistakable since she has a series of notches on her trailing edge of her dorsal fin! Then who would appear following shortly behind her, but her younger brother Cappuccino (K21)!! This 22 year old male sure has grown since last season and soon will be accepted by the females of J & L pod as a potential mate! We watched as they swam by heading south and off the shores of San Juan Island where the rest of K pod & the whales of J pod were! In the afternoon we found ourselves going through some small rollers in the Straits of Juan de Fuca in order to get to J & K pod in the calm waters of Haro Strait!! Just before Lime Kiln Lighthouse, Georgia (K11) appeared!! The calm conditions made it possible for us to watch as her "footprints" formed as she reentered the water creating a trail of slick patches in the water of where she had been! Traveling not far from Georgia was Blackberry (J27)! We parted after a great visit with those two and ventured over to Oreo's (J22) subpod! We watched as Oreo, Doublestuff (J34), Cookie (J38), & Rhapsody (J32) swam by only to shortly turn back and one gave us a HUGE spyhop!! Moments later Blackberry breached!! We enjoyed the Orcas up until Henry Island, then we had to head home. We took the scenic cruise back through the inner islands! Other wildlife that we saw throughout the day included: Glaucous-winged Gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Double-crested Cormorants, Pelagic Cormorants, & Black Oystercatchers!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

6/29/08 Orca and Minke Whales Sighted Today!

Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details on today's tour from Naturalist Jami Nagel! "9:30am trip: Wow, we finally found summer! The sun was bright and hot in the Islands today! We head out on the search for whales today, our first encounter was with a bald eagle right off the dock! Our route took us through the inner islands giving our guests beautiful views of the islands. We watched lazy harbor seals sunning themselves on the rocks and harbor porpoise playfully chasing fish. As we headed out to Hein bank we spotted looks of bird activity at the surface of the water and sure enough a Minke whale cruising for food! We got some great looks and photos too!

3:30pm trip: We headed out with reports that our Southern Resident Orcas were heading in from the west. We found the leaders of the group just SW of Victoria! J-pod was in the lead and we were treated to lots of porpoising (speed swimming) and even some breaching!! We also enjoyed a beautiful sherbet orange sunset and Rhinocerus Auklets flighting mouthfulls of bait fish back to their young! -Naturalist Jami Nagel

Double Header!!

"This morning we found ourselves off the southwest side of San Juan Island in an area called Salmon Bank! It was at this underwater shelf that we found a very shy Minke Whale that gave our guests a couple of quick looks before giving us the slip! Two other boats even joined us shortly after finding the Minke and they weren't able to find this elusive whale!! We decided to venture out to Hein Bank and then head towards Smith & Minor Islands. There we found 3 more Bald Eagles bringing our total up to 9!! Our guests also enjoyed looks at 9 Black Oystercatchers, a few hauled-out Harbor Seals, one giant eagle nest on the beach, and a Tufted Puffin!!! Smith Island is only one of two islands in the area where Tufted Puffins nest. The afternoon lead us back into the Strait of Juan de Fuca but rather west towards Vancouver Island and the city of Victoria. There we found Pender, T14, a Transient Orca whale!! We watched in the low light of the sinking sun as he made his way slowly through the water. His over six foot tall dorsal fin cut through the water allowing our guests some great photo opportunities! After a great visit we turned for home and along the way we met back up with a Minke Whale at Salmon Bank! Could this have been the same Minke that gave us the slip earlier in the day? Maybe. Other wildlife highlights of the day included a Harbor Seal hauled-out in a balencing act on a floating log, Surf Scoters, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, hundreds of Harbor Porpoise feeding in the tide rips, a Caspian Tern, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Pelagic & Double-crested Cormorants, and a couple of Common Murres. Throughout the day we enjoyed glass calm water conditions and views of Mount Baker & Mount Rainier against a backdrop of blue skies!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Minke Whale at Salmon Bank!! (6/27/2008)

A Double Blow (Minke Whale)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

An Easy Rising (Minke Whale)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"We weren't even off the dock and our guests witnessed a mature Bald Eagle being chased by a couple of Glaucous-winged Gulls!! Then just as we were departing the marina a Harbor Seal appeared!! Our journey today lead us south down Rosario Strait towards the southern shores of Lopez Island. As we neared Castle Rock we saw three more Bald Eagles (bringing our total to 6 just in the first hour)! We visited with some Pigeon Guillemots near their nesting grounds on Castle Rock and moments later gazed upon over twenty Harbor Seals hauled-out on Swirl Rocks! We made our way towards Salmon Bank and suddenly a Minke Whale appeared out of the depths!! All of our guests worked along side the crew to keep tabs of this very shy whale and we got some great looks!! It zigged and zagged feeding along the shelf at Salmon Bank undoubtedly feeding on the baitfish that congregate in its waters! We enjoyed a beautiful day in the Strait of Juan de Fuca as we spent the day in the presence of Mount Baker, the Olympic Mountains & Mount Rainier! We also visited with Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Bald Eagles, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Seals, & Harbor Porpoise!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales in Sight!

The guests on board the Island Explorer 3 are watching K and J Pod Orca Whales! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for an update from Naturalist Bart Rulon and click on this link to see the

Island Explorer 3 from space! We had orcas in the ideal spot for leaving from Anacortes today. When we found them they were located between Lummi Island and Barnes and Clark Islands. They were heading south and pretty well spread out over several miles. First we saw members of K-pod Cappuccino, K21, Raggedy, K40, and Lobo, K26 were all swimming together. Next we saw Oreo, J22, Double Stuff, J34, and Cookie. Soon the K-pod trio started to gather in close with more members of K-pod as they swam south. As this group got closer one of the K-pod males (K21 or K26) breached for us three times!! Later we spotted Ruffles, J1, swimming with his mom, Granny, J2, all by themselves. We parallel viewed them for about 15 minutes as they surfaced side by side the whole way. The orcas were swimming south through Rosario Straits which was taking us gradually back toward Anacortes so it was the ideal situation allowing us optimal time with the orcas. After leaving Ruffles and Granny we headed back over to look at our K-pod whales again then Slick, J16, Mike, J26, and J42 showed up swimming in a tight knit group. J42 was coming high out of the water for us. After about 2 and a half hours of watching the orcas we decided to peel off to look for some other wildlife. We found some harbor seals off some rocks on the south east side of Cypress Island, Then we circumnavigated Strawberry Island to look at lots of pigeon guillemots in the water and a bald eagle in the trees. What a perfect day!! Naturalist Bart Rulon

6/25/08 J-pod, K-pod, and a Minke Whale Today

9:30 am trip

We started off with fog this morning. As we left the dock we had our first wildlife sighting with a bald eagle flying close by. We slowed down at Colville Island to look at a few harbor seals in the fog. Luckily the fog started to open up as we approached the south end of San Juan Island. We found J-pod swimming from San Juan Island toward Hein Bank. The first sub-pod we watched was Slick, J16, Mike, J26, Keet, J-33, Alki, J-36, and J-42. They were swimming at a steady pace for a long time then decided to turn around and swim back from where they came. Soon Blossom, J-11, Blackberry, J-27, Tsuchi, J-31, and Mako, J-39 came swimming in to join our first group. We saw a salmon jump clear out of the water, and the orcas were in hot pursuit. Within a few seconds one of the orcas did two spyhops. We said goodbye to J-pod in order to look for more whales. As we headed northeast we found a minke whale and Captain Carl lined him up perfectly with Mount Baker. It wasn't long before we found K-pod swimming quickly toward us and J-pod. We saw Cappuccino, K-21, first and he passed by closely for us to parallel view for a while. Next Sequim, K-12, and Rainshadow, K-37 swam by for a nice look. They all were moving pretty fast, and some were porpoising, probably to catch up with J-pod. What a great morning trip!! Naturalist Bart Rulon

3:30 pm trip

Our second trip today started out just like the first one with a bald eagle flying near the dock. We chose a route through the inner San Juan Islands today. The weather was beautiful and the islands were scenic. We saw several bald eagles as we went along. J-pod and K-pod were swimming north from Henry Island toward Turn Point. J-pod was in the lead and K-pod was trailing behind. We decided to take a look at K-pod since they were closer to us. K-pod was very lively this afternoon. We started to see some breaching, cartwheels, tail-slaps, and a few spy hops. We got to see lots of different whale behaviors today. At one point Captain Carl lined up Mount Baker with the passing orcas. He told everybody he was going to push the breach button as they passed in front of Mount Baker and walla, two breaches in a row right in front of Mount Baker. What a great photo opportunity. The breaching continued with other members of K-pod going airborne. The newest member of K-pod seemed to be practicing his or her breach technique with breach after breach after breach in a row. We did get to see close up views of Cappuccino, K-21, Spock, K-20, and Lobo K-26. On the way back we motored slowly along Speiden Island and saw close up views of the Mouflon Sheep, Fallow deer, and two bald eagles perched on the rocks. We had a very entertaining trip this afternoon. Naturalist Bart Rulon

Signs of Summer

The Smallest Orca (K42)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Getting Air

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Towards the West (Mega L41)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"This morning we found ourselves taking an inner island cruise towards Spieden Island. It was just south of Stuart Island when we found the Orcas of J & K pod spread throughout the waters of Haro Strait! Our guests enjoyed a great visit with Lea (K14) & the newest member of the Southern Residents, K42! We also visited with Sequim (K12), Rainshadow (K37), & Blackberry (J27)! We witnessed taillobes, cartwheels, spyhopping, breaching & even a couple of Orcas fishing! In the evening we headed south towards the southern end of Lopez Island and out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Just before arriving on scene with a portion of L pod a Minke Whale appeared for a quick visit! We just love doubleheaders (this is when we see two species of whales on one trip)! The Orcas were just becoming more active and grouping up when we began seeing their exhalations! We first visited with Mega (L41) & his sister Matia (L77). We also saw Mystery (L85), Skanna (L79), & his mother Spirit (L22). We watched as the whales came rising high out of the water above the waves! Our guests throughout the day also enjoyed a huge Bald Eagle's nest, Harbor Porpoise, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Seals, Rhinoceros Auklets, Bald Eagles, and Turkey Vultures!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

"We started our journey in Rosario Strait where a Minke Whale made a surprise visit, then disappeared after a couple of quick looks! We continued north in search of whales. At Peapod Rocks we visited with Harbor Seals & a mature Bald Eagle perched atop the rocks! As we headed north through the Strait of Georgia we received word that 2 of the 3 Southern Resident pods of Orcas were seen headed west. That left L pod unaccounted for. We continued our search and as we ventured south we discovered 4 Brown Pelicans on Bird Rocks! During the afternoon we headed south in hopes to find L pod. It was later confirmed that all 3 pods had headed west. On occasion the Orcas of J, K, & L pods will head west towards the Pacific for a day or two and then return to the San Juan Islands. We do guarantee whales and all of our guests today will enjoy another opportunity to join us again for free to see whales! Even though some of our guests saw the Minke Whale, we pride ourselves in a quality trip where our guests get great looks at whales! We did however see Harbor Porpoise, Bald Eagles, Pigeon Guillemots, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Harbor Seals, Rhinoceros Auklets & 3 Peregrine Falcons!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales in Sight!

The Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with the Orca Whales! We headed well to the north today to show our guests Whales! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for updates from Naturalist Jami Nagel and click on this link to see the position of the Island Explorer 3 from space! "Coming out of the marina on our 9:30am trip we had our first wildlife encounter, a California Sealion, not as frequently seen in the Island in the summer!! We headed north and found 4 bald eagles on the eastside of Guemes Island. The whales took us almost to Point Roberts today. We were just south of Point Roberts watching members of K-pod as they slowly moved south in the Strait of Georgia. We had some great looks at the new K-pod baby, mom Lea, big brother Lobo and Yoda! We were treated to an amazing breach by mom Leah.
Off the dock for our 3:30 trip we headed north again the whales still coming south toward us! We ended up just north of Lummi Island. When we got on seen the whale went crazy! Their were atleast 20 breaches in the first 30 mins we were on seen! We had members of K and J pod. They were very active with not just breaches but spyhops and taillobs too! Our evening guests also got to see the new K-pod calf as she swam along side mom Lea. We also had a look at Cappuccino K21 who has really grown, his dorsal fin is atleast 6 ft tall! We also saw several harbor seals checking us out as we watched the whales and harbor porpoise! Bald eagles, rhinocerus auklets and pigeon guillemots were present on both our trips as well." -Naturalist Jami Nagel

SUPER-POD of Orca Whales!!

Our guests on board The Island Explorer 3 are watching all three pods of the Southern Resident Killer Whales! Stay tuned for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes and click on this link to see the position of the Island Explorer 3 from space - just off of Iceberg Point - near Lopez Island!

Getting Big (J42 following mother Slick J16)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Island Dog (Coyote)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"Rounding the southern corner of Lopez Island with whales in sight is always a real treat!! We thought it couldn't get better, then we learned that L & K pod had returned!! We navigated the Strait of Juan de Fuca with 80+ Orca whales spread out as far as the eye could see!! There was finally a point where we had to say to our guests pick a side and a group to watch, otherwise people were back & forth, back & forth - what we like to call Whale Ping-Pong! After some great looks at the whales we started back towards home and happened upon the "trailers"!! We enjoyed some quality time with Ruffles (J1), his mom Granny (J2), Spieden (J8- a.k.a Weaser), Slick (J16), Mike (J27), and little J42. Finally after reluctantly leaving the whales we stopped by Burrows Island where we saw a Bald Eagle perched high in a Madrone Tree & 2 Coyotes searching the shoreline for food!!! What a day!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Island Explorer 3 On-Scene with J and L-Pod Orca Whales!

Stay tuned to the Whale Report for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes and click here to see the position of the Island Explorer 3 from space!
"Our guests enjoyed an inner island cruise as we made our way to the Orcas of J & L pod just south of Henry Island! Along the way we visited with hauled-out Harbor Seals, watched Rhinoceros Auklets dive for fish, Pigeons Guillemots fly-by, and as we navigated through Pull Pass we even saw a few Common Sea Stars exposed due to the low tide!! The highlight of the day however belonged of course to the Orcas! We found the whales in two distinct groups. All of J pod and Faith (L57) were synchronize swimming as they slept! It was incredible to see all members of J pod, plus of course Faith, in one close knit group and swimming in unison. Sleeping is the only time that this happens!! Just as we neared Henry Island some of the younger whales began to awake as we watched a few begin to taillob!! We were all amazed as the whales swam within inches of Henry Island, making for some amazing photos as their exhalations were highlighted against the exposed basalt foundations of the island! " - Naturalist Kate Janes

Lunge Feeding Minke Whales!!

Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details and photos from Naturalist Bart Rulon and click here to see the position of the Island Explorer 3 from space! The water was like glass out there today. Conditions were perfect for spotting marine wildlife. We could see probably hundreds of harbor porpoise scattered throughout Rosario Straits. We slowed down near the south end of Lopez Island to check out wildlife between Lopez and Castle Island. Pigeon guillemots were plentiful and purple sea stars were too. We even saw a beautiful red blood star. A few harbor seals were hauled out on the rocks and we passed by for a close up look. Next we moved southwest into open water searching for whales at Hein Bank. Along the way two tufted puffins flew right up to our boat circling around us at close range, and then flew back in the direction they came from!! It was almost as if they just flew over to check out our boat. Captain Michael was the first to spot a minke whale today. It wasn't long before we realized that there were two minke whales, and they were actively feeding. The birds were feeding too. Large flocks of glaucous-winged gulls, rhinoceros auklets, and pelagic cormorants were feeding on bait fish all over the place. Harbor seals were mixed in there too. The birds would move from bait ball to bait ball and the minke whales would follow suit, so it was easy to keep track of them. We just watched the birds to get an idea of where the minke whales were going next. On several occasions the minke whales came shooting out of the water lunge feeding!! They definitely gave us a good show for about an hour. Next we headed back to the south end of Lopez Island to check out Swirl Rocks where we found several harbor seals hauled out and two black oystercatchers. We finished off our day looking at the bald eagle's nest at the south end of Lopez Island, and we saw two bald eagles there, one adult and one immature bird. It was a great way to finish off a fantastic day on the water. Naturalist Bart Rulon

Two Minke Whales at Hein Bank

We headed south today to start out our trip. Our first wildlife stop was at the south end of Lopez Island and Castle Island. There we saw a variety of great wildlife starting with multitudes of pigeon guillemots in the water and on the rocks. Next a bald eagle flew right over us as we motored over to look at a few harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. As we passed by the seals at close range the tide was low enough that many purple sea stars were visible. Right before we checked out the eagle's nest on the south end of Lopez we saw two more bald eagles soaring together. Later as we worked our way west we saw many more harbor seals hauled out on Swirl Rocks, and one black oystercatcher. Next we headed out into the open water and we were able to find a minke whale out at Hein Bank. Within minutes another minke whale popped up close by too. Both whales were changing directions often, but they gave us some very good views. One of the minke's, with a distinct notch in his or her dorsal fin, surfaced right next to the bow of our boat giving us all a great close up view. Later the other minke whale came up lunge feeding after a long dive. After we said goodbye to our entertaining minke whales we visited whale rocks and saw close to one hundred harbor seals hauled out there along with another black oystercatcher, some harbor porpoise, and 5 harlequin ducks. It was definitely a good day for a variety of species. Naturalist, Bart Rulon

J Pod in Rosario Strait & a baby Minke Whale! - Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Trips

Side Flopping

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

A Blakely Breach

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Second Chance

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"The captain's all agree that today was the best show so far this year and in our very own backyard!! We first found J pod & Faith (L57) at the north end of Cypress Island heading southward in very high spirits!! Swimming side-by-side Faith (L57) & Ruffles (J1) followed closely to Granny (J2). There was one youngster who was breach happy! While swimming close to the main sub-pod this young whale started doing "side-flops"! We watched as the whales spyhopped, breached, cartwheeled, & taillobed towards Washington Park in Anacortes!! We found these happy whales on our 3:30 PM trip just north of False Bay very spread out. In the evening light we watched as Rhapsody (J32) fished in the riptides and had a great pass by Shachi (J19) & her calf Eclipse (J41)! We ended on a great note with an unexpected visit with a baby Minke Whale & rooster-tailing Dall's Porpoise!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

June 15th Tour, Two Species of Whales Sighted!

We headed out today on our 9:30am trip with beautiful weather in the islands! We ended up in the Strait of Juan de Fuca with 3 Minke Whales at hein Bank. We had some wonderful looks at 2 mature minkes and 1 juvenile. We also had several Bald Eagles south end of Lopez Island and Harbor Seals soaking up the sun! We also had 2 Tufted Puffins, numerous Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, and Pelagic Cormorants!

We were northbound for our 3:30pm tour with J-Pod heading south toward us! We found J-Pod off Cherry Point slowly making their way south from the Straits of Georgia into Rosario Strait. Our first encounter was with Shachi J19, and her calf Eclipse J41, and Speiden J8 (est. birth 1933). As they reached for the northend of Lummi Island both Shachi and Speiden gave us a double breach then Eclipse joined in! We also got great look at Ruffles J1 and Granny J2 (est. birth 1911), the matriarch of J-Pod! We also had some spectacular views of Mt. Baker with the whales in the foreground!-Naturalist Jami Nagel

Orca Whales in Sight Near Stuart Island! - Monday, June 16, 2008 Trips

The Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with the Orca Whales! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes and click here to see the Island Explorer 3 from Space!

Rising Brothers (L to R: Blackberry J27, Blossom J11, Mako J39)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Giant Wave (Ruffles J1)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Delta Glow

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"It was a day of firsts! During the 9:30 AM trip we ventured through the inner islands to find J pod heading towards Stuart Island! We were first greeted by Blossom & her sons! Blackberry, now 17 years old, swam close to his mom and younger brother Mako. Shortly after our guests witnessed Samish (J14), her son Riptide (J30), her daughter Hy'shqa (J37), and her youngest daughter Suttles (J40) following Blossom's sub-pod towards Stuart Island. After a great visit with these two sub-pods we went over to visit with Ruffles (J1). After a few surfaces Ruffles surfaced belly up showing off his massive pectoral fin!!! He lingered flexing his fluke and head out of the water as if he were doing crunches!! Maybe his was working out to impress the L & K pod females when they return to the San Juan Islands!! Our 3:30 PM trip lead the crew into new territory. We found ourselves with the orcas of J pod swimming in the brackish waters of the Frazier River Delta, just north of the city of Vancouver! This is the farthest we have ventured into the Straits of Georgia!! We as a company pride ourselves in showing our guests whales against the beautiful backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, and sometimes that entails us going the extra 15 miles!! Our long trip paid off as we enjoyed J pod in the soft light of the sinking sun! We watched as Polaris (J28), Hy'shqa (J37), Oreo (J22), Cookie (J38), & Faith (L57) play & fish before heading back towards home. On the journey back the most spectacular sunset painted the sky red!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales Just West of Anacortes!

The Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with the Orca Whales in Thatcher Pass, near Decatur Island! Stay tuned for a whale report from Naturalist Kate Janes!

Oh There You Are! (R to L: Nugget L55, L109, Moonlight L83, & L110)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Little Ones (L110 & L109)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"What a beautiful summer day! Both trips today enjoyed orca whales in our backyard! This morning we looked up Rosario Strait and there in the water were the orcas of L pod!! We enjoyed Mega (L41) as he swam with a large group of females, juveniles & calves! Among the group was Nugget (L55) & her newest calf L109, who has just turned a year!! Moonlight (L83) was traveling right along side Nugget, with little L110! Maybe the young ones were enjoying a little "play date"! Glass calm waters followed us to the south end of Lopez Island as our guests enjoyed a Bald Eagle's nest and a mature Bald Eagle perched on the rocks! Just as we rounded Castle Rock we found ourselves back with the whales! Our evening trip headed north, where we found the orca whales of J pod just off Point Lawrence! We arrive on scene to find Faith (L57) enjoying the company of a J pod female! Mating can occur any time of the year, however the orcas do not mate inside their pod. Females of J pod will mate with males of either L or K pod! We later caught up with Samith (J14), Riptide (J30), Spieden (J8)& Ruffles (J1). The pod was really spread out from the shores of Orcas Island to the shores of Barnes Island! Our guests also enjoyed 8 Bald Eagles, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Seals, Rhinoceros Auklets, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Pelagic & Double-crested Cormorants!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

L and J-Pod Orca Whales Sighted!

The Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with J-Pod and L-Pod is heading toward them! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details from Naturalist Kate Janes!

Wave

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Sneeking A Peek (Mega L41)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"Blue skies welcomed us into the San Juan Islands and we navigated our way through the inner islands towards whales! Our first stop was just outside Thatcher Pass for a few hauled-out Harbor Seals nestled near a few perched Pigeon Guillemots! Our journey toward the whales lead us through Cattle Pass and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca! We found the orcas of J & L pod in a lively reunion just north and west of False Bay!! The mixing of the two pods resulted in a multitude of behaviors. Our guests witnessed spyhopping, breaching, taillobing, cartwheeling, belly rolls and upside down taillobes!! We got great looks at Mega (L41), Mike (J26), Polaris & her mother Princess Angeline! After a great visit with these amazing cetaceans we enjoyed the company of the blue skies all the way back to the dock! Our guests also visited with Turkey Vultures, Bald Eagles, Rhinoceros Auklets, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Pelagic & Double-crested Cormorants!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

J-Pod off Saturna Island

A cloudy morning turned into sunshine and Orca Whales in the Salish Sea! Stay tuned for a report on today's tour from Naturalist Bart Rulon! We chose a path going through the inner San Juan Islands today because we had reports of J-pod swimming north off of Stuart Island. We needed to make some time so we didn't make any stops as we headed north. We did however see a few bald eagles, pigeon guillemots, turkey vultures, and pelagic cormorants along the way. When we finally found J-pod they were swimming along the south end of Saturna Island. One of the first orcas we saw breached for us! J-pod was spread out but in small groups looking for fish. Granny, J2, and Spieden, J8, two of the oldest members of J-pod, were swimming side by side for several minutes. We had many elementary school children on the boat today who had adopted Ruffles, J1, through the adopt an orca program at the Whale Museum. So we were sure to check out Ruffles as he swam alone in front of all the other orcas. He drew lots of cheers from the kids every time he surfaced. Later we repositioned to watch several orcas pass by. One breached for us, then another swam at high speed, probably chasing a salmon, with her dorsal fin slicing quickly through the water's surface. A few minutes later we watched as Oreo, J22, Double Stuff, J34, Cookie, J38, Polaris, J28, and others swam side by side. We said goodbye to the whales as they reached the eastern end of Saturna Island. On the way back home we made a stop at Peapod Rocks to watch many harbor seals hauled out on the rocks there. It was a great day! Naturalist - Bart Rulon

Three Active Minke Whales

We headed north today with a report of J-pod up near East Point headed north. We knew timing was important so we managed to made it off the dock 15 minutes early. As we worked our way up we saw several bald eagles and harbor porpoises. By the time we reached the north end of Lummi island we realized that J-pod was moving north way too fast and they were too far away for us to reach them so we changed our plans. We turned around and motored south to look for whales . At Peapod Rocks we found lots of harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. We planned to work our way toward Salmon bank but we found three minke whales near the southeast corner of Lopez Island before we could get that far. Our first close up viewing of a minke whale was a breach! Then we saw several lunge feedings. We watched this first minke whale for a while then we moved south to watch a second one that Mark spotted. This minke was active too showing several lunge feedings and close encounters and a breach! We also spotted a third minke whale in the distance. Knowing we could come back and find these whales again we peeled off and looked at Castle Rock and Colville Island for more variety. Was saw two bald eagles, one each on the south end of Lopez Island and Colville Island. Next we looked for our minke whales again and we maneged to find all three of them not far from where we left them. All the breaching and lunge feeding made for a great minke whale day today! Naturalist - Bart Rulon

Transient Orcas Near Smith Island!!

Gentel Rolls (Transient T130A)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Trailing Mom
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

A Visitor in Giant Proportions (Brown Pelican)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"Today we found ourselves again in the Strait of Juan de Fuca searching for whales. Approaching Lawson Reef we noticed hundreds of birds congregated in large grouping throughout the southern end of Rosario Strait. A mixture of Rhinoceros Aukets, Glaucous-winged Gulls & Cormorants fed at the surface as Harbor Seals & Harbor Porpoise worked hundreds of bait fish to the surface. Then in the distance Mark, our first mate, spotted an exhalation of a large cetacean! We redirected our attention toward Smith Island where we found a group of 5 Transient Orca Whales (T130A's group)! We watched as they rolled slowly in & out of the glass calm water! There sleeping pattern eventually gave way to the pod spreading out into 3 distinct groups. As we watched a female with a younger calf (more than likely a 3-5 year old) a Tufted Puffin flew up along our boat!! We watched as this little sea parrot made a few circles between us and the whales and then continued on towards its nesting grounds on Smith Island!! Our guests also saw an uncommon Brown Pelican feeding along side Glaucous-winged Gulls, Harbor Porpoise, Black Oystercatchers, hauled-out Harbor Seals & 5 that were thrashing their lunch about at the surface, Cormorants, and Pigeon Guillemots!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Monday, June 9th, 2008

"Today we traveled into the Strait of Juan de Fuca where we found the elusive "stinky" Minke Whale just south of Salmon Bank!! Captain Michael did a fantastic job at maneuvering the Island Explorer 3 so that our guests wouldn't have to smell its foul breath!! The Minke demonstrated its key to avoidance by its zig-zagging unpredictable nature. After a series of short respiration's the Minke would take its long dive and then reappear on the other side of the boat heading in a totally different direction! We had a great visit with the Minke, some feeding Rhinoceros Auklets, & a Pacific Loon using the water as its own person runway before heading for Cattle Pass! Once in the protected waters of the inner islands we made a stop to visit a Bald Eagle's nest! Our guests also enjoyed Dall's Porpoise, Harbor Porpoise, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Seals, Glaucous-winged Gulls, & Cormorants!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Island Explorer 3 is On-Scene with Orca Whales!

Click on the link below to see the position of the Island Explorer 3 from space! And, stay tuned for updates from Naturalist Jami Nagel!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=48.3419,-123.1143&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 "We found the sun when we caught up with J-pod today out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Hein Bank!! They were heading west with the out going tide! We spent our time with 2 subpod. Speiden with her niece Shachi and Shachi 3 year old calf Eclipse. Also Princess Angeline with her two daughters Polaris and TahlequahdThey gave us some amazing looks at them as they all traveled tightly together! On our way back after leaving J-pod we came across our second species of whale for the day! A Minke whale just north of Smith Island!! We watched the minke surface several times before we had to head back to Anacortes! Some of the other wildlife we encountered were harbor seals sunning themselves on the rocks near the southend of Lopez Island, bald eagles, pigeon guillemots, rhinocerus auklets, common murres and many harbor porpoise!"

Orca Whales Sighted on 24 of Last 25 Tours!

J-Pod sighted from Island Explorer 3! Stay tuned for details from Naturalist Kate Janes!

Cruise By (Blossom-J11)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"It was a special treat for our guests as we cruised the inner islands towards Battleship Island where we found J Pod!! Along the way we visited a Bald Eagles at its nest on Decatur Island and just before departing its mate returned carrying food in its talons! These wouldn't be the only eagles of the trip, by the end we would see a total of 7! Just past Spieden Island, as we entered Haro Strait, we began to see the members of J pod really spread out! To our surprise Blossom (J11) appeared followed by her 17 year old son Blackberry (J27). We spent some quality time with this mother & son as they navigated through some riptides and among lots of debris. Conveniently they swam in the direction of a log that had a branch sticking straight up that we kept confusing as a dorsal fin of a whale! We eventually went to visit with some of the other whales. Our guests enjoyed as the whales became more active breaching, spyhopping, and taillobing! We left with a final visit with Oreo's (J22) subpod. Her neice Rhapsody (J32), her son Doublestuff (J34) & her youngest Cookie (J38) all swam giving our guests great looks as they were nearly swimming in unison! Other wildlife we saw on our adventure today included: a Black-tail Deer on Shaw Island, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Harbor Porpoise, & Harbor Seals!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales Heading Toward Anacortes!

Orca Whales are southbound from Point Roberts and The Island Explorer 3 is northbound to show our guests whales! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes!

The Approach (Tahlequah J35)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Just Below (Tahlequah J35)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

A Slow Surface (Tahlequah J35)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"We may have started our day with rain that eventually gave way to a light mist, BUT the weather broke just before we came on scene with the Orcas of J pod and the remainder of the day was spent in the company of blue skies! Today we found the orcas just south of Point Roberts very spread out. We eventually peeled off with the eastern most group and enjoyed some great looks at Ruffles, J1. There were a few young guests on board who were quite thrilled to meet one of the wild celebrities from the Free Willy Movie! Then IT happened. After our time with Ruffles we noticed two other whales further south. We parallel one for some time and then suddenly there was a direction change. Tahlequah (J35) decided she wanted to watch some humans!! With our engines now out of gear we just sat back and enjoyed what happened next. She appeared at our stern surfacing a couple of times then we watched her swimming just under the water along the port side!! During this period of time she was really moving, then about midship she just stopped. Still underwater we could see her eyepatch as she appeared to be looking up at us on the Island Explorer 3!! Then very slowly she rose out of the water, took a breath and then quickly swam off!! What a breathtaking gift. We not only spent time with Tahlequah & Ruffles, but we also saw Granny (J2) & Polaris (J28- who is Tahlequah's sister)! Also on the trip we visited with 7 Bald Eagles, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Harbor Seals, Pacific Madrone Trees, Marbled Murrelets, Harbor Porpoise, and Pacific Loons." - Naturalist Kate Janes

Thursday June 5th, 2008 J-pod Breaching Like Crazy!

We probably saw 75 plus breaches today!!

Blackberry (J27) doing a cartwheel

Granny (J2) coming down from a breach!!

What a day we had today. It was cold and rainy on and off today, and we had to go a long way to find the whales today, but it was all worth it. We headed north today in search of J-pod. Along the way we saw a couple of bald eagles, and we slowed down a bit to look at a few seals hauled out on Peapod Rocks. We were searching very hard for J-pod especially as we got north of the San Juan Islands. Yesterday we saw one brown pelican, and today we saw a flock of 7 pelicans. Finally J-pod appeared just south of Point Roberts, and they we breaching all over the place! J-pod did non-stop breaching the entire time we spent with them! I've been a naturalist for 8 years out here and I was shaking, it was so exciting. We probably saw 70 breaches today! It looked like every member of J-pod must have breached at one time or another, from the little ones all the way up to some of the old timers, including Granny (J2) and Ruffles (J1). Ruffles breached several times and Granny did a full breach for us at close range. At the time Granny breached she was swimming with Blackberry (J27) who also decided to breach several times along with performing a number of cartwheels! It was difficult to decide which group of orcas to look at because they were all coming out of the water. We were all high fiving each other up in the wheelhouse. It was so hard to leave J-pod today I could hardly stand it. If it weren't for the windy, rainy weather I probably would have had captain Michael drop me off in one of our life rafts for the rest of the afternoon. Naturalist - Bart Rulon

Orca Whales off Point Roberts!

J-Pod sighted by Island Explorer 3! K and L Pods are quite a ways west toward the Pacific today but will probably return tomorrow or Saturday. New K-Pod baby confirmed as K42! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for an update from Naturalist Bart Rulon!

K & L pods return for a superpod day!!

We started out our day with some nice wildlife sightings right as we were leaving the dock. A bald eagle was on a sand flat just inside the breakwater, and the low tide exposed many ochre sea stars as we passed close by. On our way northward we saw several more bald eagles on Guemes Island and Jack Island, along with the eagle's nest on Jack Island. We also spotted two peregrine falcons flying on the east side of Guemes Island. It wasn't long before we were on scene with orcas on the west side of Lummi Island. K-pod and L-pod came in yesterday and we had a superpod with all three pods swimming together today!! The first group of orcas that we visited were J-pod orcas. Blackberry (J27) and Mako were being very playful for us, with a few breaches, and lots of rolling around. We watched them for about 20 minutes. Soon you could see orcas in all directions, and it was hard to tell everyone where to look because they were all over the place! Next we spotted Ruffles (j1) swimming with Faith (L57). By the time we made it over to them Ruffles had slowed down and we watched him swimming alone for 10 minutes. Knowing we would have other chances to see the superpod later in the trip we decided to peel off for a look at Peapod Rocks. On our way there captain Michael spotted a brown pelican, which is an uncommon sighting. At Peapod Rocks we found yet another bald eagle and lots of harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. Next we headed back to the orcas as they were at the north end of Guemes Island close to shore. They continued to be very playful with L-pod and J-pod members doing spyhops, breaches, and lots of tail lobs. At one point we even saw two orcas doing a double breach at the same time! What a fantastic day! We were all very excited to see K and L pods back in town, and they seemed excited too! Naturalist - Bart Rulon

They're Back!!

The Orca whales of J pod are now reunited with their friends of K & L pod!! We have confirmed reports that J pod, K pod and part of L pod are catching up near South Beach, San Juan Island!! Our next trip is tomorrow June 4th at noon!

Smiles from Ear to Ear!

"We left the dock at an extremely low tide exposing 50+ Sea Stars (star fish) on the pilings!! The Orcas of J pod brought us up into the Strait of Georgia just west of Cherry Point! We arrived on scene just as the 25 members of the pod broke off into 2 distinct groupings. This gave our guests the opportunity to see all the whales of J pod!! After a few good looks at the smaller of the two subpods we left Ruffles (J1), Princess Angeline (J17), Polaris (J28), and the other whales he was traveling with to spend some time with the leading subpod! We enjoyed the rest of our time with Slick's (J16) family group from her oldest son Mike (J26) to little J42 and Samish's (J14) subpod from her teenage son Riptide (J30), Hyishqa (J37) and little 4 year old Suttles! We enjoyed watching the whales steadily make their way south while having fun along the way! We witnessed multiple spyhops, cartwheels, breaches, taillobes, and great looks at the subpods traveling in unison!! We also spent time with Spieden (J8), Tsuchi (J31) & Blackberry (J27)!! After a great visit it was time to return home, however we were in for one more HUGE surprise....a breaching Minke Whale appeared 1/8 of a mile south of Alden Bank!! This very active Minke breached once and then continued lunge feeding in a circular pattern!! Back to back double headers!! What a way to start the month of June! We also saw Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Porpoise, Common Sea Stars, Pacific Loons, Harbor Seals, Common Murres, Great Blue Heron, and Bald Eagles (6 total)!! - Naturalist Kate Janes

Island Explorer 3 on-Scene with Orca Whales!!

Stay tuned for details from Naturalist Jami Nagel and check out the link below to see the position of the Island Explorer 3 from space!!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=48.4418,-123.0127&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 "Wow, what a day!! We headed around the south end of Lopez Island and caught up with J-pod just pass Iceberg Pt, Lopez Island. It was like they were waiting for us to arrive. As we came on scene we had 2 youngsters breaching over and over again. We stayed with this group which had Oreo, Doublestuff, Cookie and Eclipse in it. We also had Blossom, Mako and Tsuchi. As we moved away from the group and repositioned ourselves the youngsters caught up with us this time doing several cartwheels and getting one of the older females to breach several times in a row!! Today was a phenomenal day with J-pod. After that amazing look at J-pod we didn't think it could get any better...but it did!!! We were heading through the inter-islands when we spotted a blow in the distance up San Juan channel near Friday Harbor. As we moved up the channel to check it out we discovered it was a juvenile humpback! We had some amazing Fuke shots and some great Id shots for Cascadia! Today turned out to be a double header. We also saw several bald eagles, Rhinoceros auklets, pigeon guillemots, harbor porpoise, harbor seals and a river otter."-Naturalist Jami Nagel

Whale Watching Report

Monday, June 30, 2008

Orca Whales in Sight from Island Explorer 3!

6/29/08 Orca and Minke Whales Sighted Today!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Double Header!!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Minke Whale at Salmon Bank!! (6/27/2008)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Orca Whales in Sight!

6/25/08 J-pod, K-pod, and a Minke Whale Today

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Signs of Summer

Monday, June 23, 2008

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Orca Whales in Sight!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

SUPER-POD of Orca Whales!!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Island Explorer 3 On-Scene with J and L-Pod Orca Whales!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Lunge Feeding Minke Whales!!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Two Minke Whales at Hein Bank

J Pod in Rosario Strait & a baby Minke Whale! - Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Trips

Monday, June 16, 2008

June 15th Tour, Two Species of Whales Sighted!

Orca Whales in Sight Near Stuart Island! - Monday, June 16, 2008 Trips

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Orca Whales Just West of Anacortes!

Friday, June 13, 2008

L and J-Pod Orca Whales Sighted!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

J-Pod off Saturna Island

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Three Active Minke Whales

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Transient Orcas Near Smith Island!!

Monday, June 9th, 2008

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Island Explorer 3 is On-Scene with Orca Whales!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Orca Whales Sighted on 24 of Last 25 Tours!

Friday, June 6, 2008

Orca Whales Heading Toward Anacortes!

Thursday June 5th, 2008 J-pod Breaching Like Crazy!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Orca Whales off Point Roberts!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

K & L pods return for a superpod day!!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

They're Back!!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Smiles from Ear to Ear!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Island Explorer 3 on-Scene with Orca Whales!!

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