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

J-pod on both trips today

9:30am
This morning we headed north on word that J-pod had been spotted just south of the Frazier River. Along the way we spotted bald eagles, lots of harbor seals, and harbor porpoise. I spotted the first marbled murrelet sightings of the year for me, as we saw 4 of them east of Guemes Island. We found J-pod just south of Point Roberts today. When we first arrived we watched Blackberry, J27, swim by. Later we watched Princess Angeline, J17, Polaris, J28, and Tahlequah, J35 swimming together. We spent most of our time parallel viewing Samish, J14, Riptide, J30, Hy'Shqa, J37, and Suttles, J40. We did see one breach off in the distance today. On our way back to the dock we drove between Barnes and Clark Islands, and watched four bald eagles and several harbor seals on the Clark Island side. Naturalist Bart Rulon

3:30pm
J-pod had moved southwest for our afternoon trip so we decided to take a route through the inner San Juan Islands to meet up with them. We spotted several bald eagles and harbor seals as we made our way through the San Juan Islands. We eventually found J-pod swimming southwest in Boundary Pass toward Turn Point. The first orcas we found were grouped up in a resting mode and we spent most of our time parallel viewing them. Included in this group were Oreo, J22, Double Stuff, J34, Cookie, J38, Princess Angeline, J17, Polaris, J28, Tahlequah, J35, Blossom J11, Blackberry, J27, Tsuchi, J31, and Mako, J39. They all surfaced together on many occasions making for some great photo opportunities. Later we also caught up with Spieden, J8, Shachi, J19, and Eclipse, J41 as they were swimming together near this first group. On our way back home we spotted more bald eagles and two osprey perched near their nest on Crane Island. It rained on us some today, but miraculously it stopped for us while we watched the orcas. We must have had some help from above. Naturalist Bart Rulon

Orca Whales Near Alden Bank!

Captain Michael reports from Island Explorer 3 "Glass calm water and J-Pod! Had some great looks at Riptide and Samish!" Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details on today's tour from Naturalist Bart Rulon.

K-pod at Middle Bank

Cappuccino, K21, (in back), and his sister Raggedy, K40.

3:30 trip
This afternoon we worked our way south through Rosario Straits, and around the south end of Lopez Island. First we found a bald eagle and a few harbor seals near Colville Island. We spotted several harbor seals swimming around as we headed out to Middle Bank to find K-pod. They were spread out and swimming west. The first two orcas we spent time with were Cappuccino, K21, and Raggedy, K40. Shortly after we started parallel viewing them the brother and sister pair started swimming side by side and they surfaced at the same time for five breaths in a row. Later we had Cali, K34 come over and pay us a visit. Next Spock, K20, and Comet, K38 swam over for a good close-up view at our stern. On our way back to the dock we stopped in at Castle Rock and saw a harbor seal mom with her pup hauled out on a rock. Two ravens were perched high up on the island also. Mount Rainier and Mount Baker were both visible at the same time as we worked around the south end of Lopez Island. Rainier looked especially bright tonight. As we headed east through Rosario Straits we saw lots of harbor porpoise surfacing at several different spots. Other wildlife we saw today included pelagic cormorants, pigeon guillemots, rhinoceros auklets, and common murres. The weather was beautiful on top of all our wildlife sightings making it a great trip. Naturalist Bart Rulon

Orca and Minke Whales Today!!

Captain Carl calls in a "double header" today! The Island Explorer 3 spotted a Minke Whale on the way to see Orca Whales! Stay tuned for details from Naturalist Kate Janes and click here to see the location of the Whales from space! "Our day started as we headed south down Rosario Strait passing between Colville Island & Castle Rock where we saw Harbor Seals hauled out on the rocks, Pigeon Guillemots, and rafts of Bull Kelp floating at the surface! Just moments later a Minke Whale appeared for a surprise visit! After a quick visit we continued making our way northward up San Juan Island until we came to False Bay where we found the Orcas of L & K pod milling about in the riptide no doubt enjoying some tasty salmon! We enjoyed a portion of L pod and then saw dorsal fins just south in the distance! We found Spirit & her sons, Skanna & Solstice, heading south! Skanna & Solstice were both fishing creating quite a commotion at the surface! We watched as they made quick ch Check Spelling

anges in directions while the water swirled as they were under the water! We left them after they had their lunch returning to Rosario Strait and the dock for our afternoon trip!

3 Very Friendly Minke Whales

Stay tuned for updates from on board the Island Explorer 3 from Naturalist Kate Janes as they are on scene with 3 very friendly Minke Whales at Hein Bank! "Our journey today lead us to the south end of Lopez Island and out into the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca! It was at Hein Bank that we found not 1 but 3 Minke Whales! We were slowing coming on scene with one when it disappeared with a long down time then in the distance a Minke appeared! Thinking it was the same whale we made our way over and then discovered that there were 2 feeding on the shallow shelf! We stayed with the second Minke as it became increasingly more comfortable with the boat! On more than one occasion the Minke was right along side the boat giving our guests fantastic looks! There was even one pass just off the bow that made a few passengers jump at its exhalation! Eventually we had to depart and that is when the third Minke Whale appeared for a brief visit! We began the return back to the dock stopping to visit with hauled out Harbor Seals, swimming Pigeon Guillemots, fishing Rhinoceros Auklets, and gently rolling Harbor Porpoise! The afternoon brought increased winds and as we ventured south down Rosario Strait we realized that the Strait of Juan de Fuca was going to be out to the picture as it was only building! We retreated in the calm waters of Rosario Strait in the search of wildlife! It was in Lopez Pass that we found a Bald Eagle's nest nestled in the beautiful pass! We continued northward keeping close to the shoreline as we took the pass between James & Decatur Island! At James Island we found our first of many Bald Eagles, and just across the pass yet another eagle sat. Stopping off at Peapod Rocks we visited with hauled out Harbor Seals, seals swimming among the Bull Kelp and a perched Bald Eagle took flight showing off its large wingspan! We then searched Alden Bank resulting in no whales. Unfortunately this trip was one of only 4% of all trips that didn't see whales, as a company we love sharing & showing whales to our guests and when we don't see one we give our guests another opportunity to come with us again to see whales for free!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Transient Orcas near Thatcher Pass!!

Blowing Steam

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Clark Inspired Backdive (T20)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"To our surprise we yet again found whales in our backyard!! This time a group of 6 Transient Orcas stole today's show! We first found the group, including large T20, heading northward up Rosario Strait fairly spread out. In true Transient form they would have a series of 4 short dives with frequent surfacing then would have a long down time leaving us guessing where they were to resurface. After one of these sessions they conveniently appearing mid-channel posing just under Mount Baker in the distance!! What a great photo opportunity! Then during another session they appeared just off our port (left side of the boat) allowing our guests the opportunity to listen to their exhalations! We watched with eager anticipation as the group pass Peapod Rocks hoping for a little carnage since there were some Harbor Seals that were conveniently in the water! Unlike our Residents who each exclusively Salmon, Transients each marine mammals which include Harbor Seals, Sea Lions, Porpoise and even an occasional baleen whales. Apparently not in the mood for seal the Transients passed by after lingering near the rocks. Also keeping a keen eye on the activity were 3 Bald Eagles perched on Peapods rocky shoreline. We left the group at Barnes & Clark Islands after both T20 and a female decided to taillobe and show off their white bellies with two massive bellyrolls!! We made our way off scene navigating the waters between Barnes & Clark Islands where we watched as Harbor Seals nursed on the rocks, Pigeon Guillemots swam lazily by, a Great Blue Heron perched high in a tree & a mature Bald Eagle watched in a conifer along the shoreline! After a scenic detour we met back up with the Orcas for a farewell before heading south towards the marina. During our adventure today we also saw Bull Kelp, a Belted Kingfisher, Rhinoceros Auklets, Harbor Porpoise and a couple of Black-tail Deer on Guemes Island!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales Just Off Turn Point!

"An incredible show today!!" Reports Captain Carl from Explorer 3! Ruffles, J1, was showing off today! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details from Naturalist Jami Nagel.

Island Explorer 3 on-Scene with Orca Whales!!

Just a few miles West of Anacortes, our guests are watching Orca Whales breaching and tail slapping, reports Captain Carl! Click here to see where the Orca Whales are from space and stay tuned to the Whale Report for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes!

Right Side Up & Upside Down

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Rostrum High to the Sky

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Letting Loose (Rhapsody J32)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"No one was prepared for the day that lay before us. Moments off the dock we found a Super Pod of Orcas at Thatcher Pass! Finding Orcas in literally our own backyard is always a treat but to have the flat calm conditions and some very active Orcas is a dream! Slowly moving southward down Rosario Straits we never ventured south of James Island today! It was unbelievable they continued to mill about producing spyhops, taillobs, breaches, cartwheels and bellyrolls that left our eyes overstimulated!! It was along Blakely Island that Ruffles (J1) and Granny (J2) made their appearance! When we first saw them they were heading southward behind the rest of J pod, then suddenly the began milling about the boat!! Out of gear we watched as the literally circled in waters surrounding us!! Convinced they wanted to partake in some people watching, they after having their fill slowly began heading southward! Stunned we departed towards the north end of Cypress Island where we found a Bald Eagle perched high in a tree while a mother Harbor Seal swam with her young pup amoung the Bull Kelp! We circumnavigated Cypress Island rejoining the Orcas along Blakely Island for one last good bye! We left the Orcas resting ending by far the "best trip ever of the 2007-2008 Season"! Our evening trip started out on an incredible note! Perched high on Cap Sante Point a mature Bald Eagle looked down at us as we passed by a Belted Kingfisher perched near the waters edge! We navigated northward up the backside of Guemes Island enjoying Harbor Seals swimming, Pigeon Guillemots splashing into the water, and Harbor Porpoise gracefully swimming! We found the Orca Whales just south of Point Roberts in the same flat calm conditions as this morning! Coming on scene we noticed one very breach happy Orca and decided to see who it was! Miss Rhapsody (J32) was in quite high spirits! She breached at least 30 times during our visit and in one spectacular series she breached 5 times in a row!! When she wasn't breaching this youngster would taillobe as she prepared for the next session of breaches!! She was soon joined by her Aunt Oreo (J22) and cousins Doublestuff (J34) and Cookie (J38)! In their presence she only continued breaching along side them as they swam in close proximity!! Swimming along our starboard (right side of the boat) another subpod was in tight formation! Little Mako (J39) found himself wedged between his older siblings Blackberry (J27) & Tsuchi (J31)! We ended an incredible day watching the whales swimming northward up the Strait of Georgia in the glow of the setting sun!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales in Sight!!

The Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with the Orca Whales! Click here to see the position of the Orca Whales from space and stay tuned to the Whale report for details on today's tour from Naturalist Kate Janes!

Showing Off (Cappuccino K21)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Whale Waterfall (Cappuccino K21)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"We started our day in the inner islands visiting with some Bald Eagles, Harbor Seals, Pigeon Guillemots, and Rhinoceros Auklets as we made our way southward through Cattle Pass! We found a mixture of whales, portions of J, K & L pods of Orcas, just southeast of Discovery Island! A small swell was forming in the waters at the south end of Haro Strait causing the Orcas to bring more of their rostrums out of the water giving our guests great looks as they swam by!! Young Cappuccino (K21) appeared to be showing off in front of Grace (L2), maybe in attempts to win over her daughter Splash (L67) who was swimming just ahead of the pair! After a few respiration's Cappuccino was belly up doing upside down taillobes and ended with an impressive backdive! While on his belly his HUGE pectoral fins were visible giving our guests an ideal of just how big he is- and he is still growing!! We eventually had to leave the whales as they continued heading towards the west side of San Juan Island northbound. Our journey home took us through new waters taking us along the south side of San Juan & Lopez Islands. It was near Iceberg Point that a Minke Whale appeared from the watery depths!! This large female, approximately the same size as Cappuccino, was a great illustration for our guests on the physical differences between toothed & baleen whales!! This doubleheader was a great note to end our morning trip on!! This afternoon we revisited the inner islands, but this time took a different route! Entering through Thatcher Pass we then took Upright Channel southward and it looked like we would be returning to the Straits of Juan de Fuca, but instead we headed north up San Juan Channel! The inner island cruise allowed our guests glimpses of Bald Eagles perched high in conifers along many of the islands shorelines, Harbor Seals swimming the frigid waters & hauled out on rocky outcroppings, and Pigeon Guillemots diving for baitfish! We found the Orcas belonging to J, K & L pods near the Canadian Gulf Island of Saturna in glass calm waters! Slowly moving northward up Boundary Pass we caught up with Cappuccino (K21) once again, however he was traveling with his older sister this time, Raggedy (K40)! The siblings eventually rounded Java Rocks and began milling about together rolling and rubbing in play! We left just as 3 other whales joined Cappuccino & Raggedy past the point!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

J-pod on both trips today

Top Photo - A breach photo during our morning trip.
Bottom Photo - J39 breaching during our afternoon trip.

Today's weather was spectacular all day today. The water looked like a lake out there for the morning trip and only a slight breeze by the afternoon, with sunshine all day. Last night J-pod headed north so we headed north this morning to look for them. Knowing we would be going a long way to find them we didn't make many stops along the way. We did stop briefly to watch two bald eagles perched in the trees at the southeast end of Guemes Island. Later in Rosario Straits we saw several harbor seals in the water and lots of gulls feeding on bait balls, including my first Bonaparte's gull sightings of the season. We also saw several harbor porpoise on our way up. We found J-pod just south of Point Roberts angling toward East Point. Faith, L57, was also swimming with J-pod as he has been doing often lately, and we got a good look at him right off the bat when we arrived on the scene. We also watched Ruffles, J1, for a while. Orcas were spyhopping all over the place today it seemed, especially in the beginning of our visit. Next we watched Shachi, J19, Eclipse, J41, and Spieden, J8, Swimming together for a long time. Spieden did a spyhop for us at close range. We also saw several breaches, carwheels, and taillobs during our first trip. Naturalist Bart Rulon

Our afternoon trip started out with a surprise in Rosario Straits. Captain Carl noticed some splashing around. He and I watched to try and figure out what it was. A minke whale surfaced then a few moments later we both said whoa at the same time when the minke whale shot straight out of the water for a breach. We watched this big minke whale for several more surfaces before heading into the inner San Juan Islands on our way to look for orcas on the west side of the San Juans. Through the inner islands we spotted bald eagles and several harbor seals. The word from other boats out there was that J-pod was at the northwest end of San Juan Island heading south. We were heading in that direction, but about 6 miles before we could get there we found some J-pod orcas of our own near False Bay. It was Blackberry, J27, Tsuchi, J31, and Mako, J39. Blackberry gave us many close up looks and he did a lot of changing directions, probably chasing fish. Mako breached for us three times in a row! Later as this small subpod turned around to head north we had a minke whale pop right up in the middle of them. It seemed like this minke wanted to join J-pod because he was swimming right along with them. At one point the minke whale was very close to Blackberry as he picked up speed to catch up with Tsuchi and Mako who had started to porpoise quickly northward out in front of him. Naturalist Bart Rulon

Orcas off Lime Kiln Park

For today's trip we worked our way across Rosario Straits and around the southern part of Lopez Island. We stopped at Colville Island to watch 6 turkey vultures soaring over the island and two adult bald eagles perched on the ground. One bald eagle took flight and landed right next to his or her mate. Many harbor seals were hauled out on the rocks as we passed by slowly. Next we found orcas swimming north along the west side of San Juan Island, just south of Lime Kiln Park. We saw mostly J-pod orcas, but there was at least one L-pod orca swimming with them, L57, Faith. Soon after we arrived on the orca scene many of the orcas were approaching a big bull kelp forest near shore. We saw 6-7 orca spyhops within a few minutes right on the edge of the bull kelp forest. A few minutes later one of the orcas breached out of the water. Later as the orcas swam north of the park, J26, Mike, came over to give us a look. He appeared to be chasing salmon at one point with several changes of direction. Soon we joined Ruffles, J1, as he was swimming up ahead. Not long after we got close to Ruffles he turned completely around heading toward us and chasing a salmon at high speed. We continued to parallel view Ruffles and soon J19, Shachi, joined him. Just as we were waving goodbye to the orcas today Granny, J2, came out of nowhere it seemed and gave our passengers a great close up view. Everybody gasped as she came out of the water at close range because none of us expected her to be there. On the way back to the dock we chose a route through the inner San Juan Islands. We stopped once at Decatur Island to view the bald eagle's nest there with a chick still perched on the nest and one adult parent perched in a tree nearby. The Sun gradually worked its way out by the middle to end of our trip, and the weather conditions were nice all day long. Naturalist Bart Rulon

J16 Subpod Steal the Show All Day!!

Stay tuned to the whale report as Naturalist Kate Janes reports from on board the Island Explorer 3 as they enjoy Orcas under blue skies! "Rosario Strait lead us southward around Lopez Island and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca where we would later find a portion of J pod!! We first saw and visited with young Mike (J26) with his rapidly growing dorsal fin he is really hard to miss! Nearby his mother Slick (J16) was closely being followed by little J42, who is the youngest member of J pod being just over one year old! Slick's other offspring, Keet & Alki, remained in the vicinity milling about. All five whales showed off their ability to not only to hold their breath for long periods of time but also their capability to change direction quickly. We watched as they zigged and zagged coming off island only to cut back towards shore minutes later. After a great visit with this very active subpod we made our way towards Anacortes stopping by Swirl Rocks, Blind Island, and Castle Rock at the south end of Lopez Island. It was there we found Harbor Seals nursing their pups, Pigeon Guillemots, a Bald Eagle perched on the rocks and a Turkey Vulture soaring above us! When we returned to the Straits of Juan de Fuca for our evening trip the whales were almost exactly where we left them!! We met back up with Slick and her family. We found J42 quite some distance from mom exploring waters away from her subpod and then quickly porpoising back to her mothers & older brother Keets side!! We watched with excitement as she rolled about and then triumphantly breached!! Mike was farther south with sibling Alki and we watched as they turned and headed north for a period to meet back up with Slick, Keet & J42. Once all together the family continued southward. They swam in a close proximity to one another and then after one long respiration Mike, Alki and J42 reappeared nearby as if they were interested in a little people watching of their own!! After a great visit with Slick's family we caught up with Samish, Riptide, Hy'shqua & Suttles and our guests got to enjoy yet another family of J pod Orcas! We ended a beautiful day at the south end of Lopez Island enjoying one of the most spectacular passes the San Juan Islands has to offer!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales Sighted from Island Explorer 3!

Click here to see the position of the Orca Whales from space and stay tuned to the Whale Report for an update on "Lots of Orca Whales!" from Naturalist Kate Janes! "The inner islands welcomed us as we entered through Thatcher Pass with a Bald Eagle perched high in a tree! The protected waters lead us pass Upright Head and south towards Cattle Pass where we entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca finding not only blue skies but also the Orca Whales! Just north of Eagle Point we met up with Blossom's (J11) subpod! Blossom lead Blackberry, Tsuchi & Mako northward up San Juan Island in tight formation! Trailing behind Spieden (J8) enjoyed a tasty salmon after an eventful chase! As we turned for home we received an unexpected visit from young Doublestuff who apparently wanted to do a little people watching of his own!! He circled the boat giving our guests multiple opportunities for some great photos above & below the water!! His white portions shone green as we watched him swim by!! We left the Orcas just north of False Bay as they continued northbound! We returned home wrapping around the south end of Lopez Island stopping to see Harbor Seals with their pups hauled out on the rocks, Black Oystercatchers, Common Sea Stars and Pigeon Guillemots surrounding Castle Rock! On our evening trip we returned to the inner islands which provided not only a scenic backdrop for our cruise but also great wildlife opportunities. On Blakely Island we found an Osprey perched atop a conifer tree overlooking a quite bay! This is considered a rare sighting since Bald Eagles dominate the islands making it difficult to be an Osprey living in the islands. As we ventured near Orcas Island we watched as our state ship the Lady Washington sailed our same waters! And nearby a pair of Marbled Murrelets swam in search of food!! We found some members of both J & L pod of Orcas between Morsby Island & South Pender Island! The whales gently rolled through the glass calm waters! We watched as the whales spyhopped, taillobes, cartwheeled,a whale even breached near the shoreline of South Pender Island and listened as the whales exhaled at a rate of 100 mph!! We made our way back through the inner islands as the sun was setting over the San Juans! Throughout the day we also saw Rhinoceros Auklets feeding, Pigeon Guillemots, Heereman's Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Harbor Porpoise, and 2 more Osprey as we returned on our evening trip on Orcas Island ending a picture perfect day!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales in Sight!

Our guests are watching J-Pod Orca Whales on the morning tour! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details on all the wildlife we saw today on both of our tours from Naturalist Jami Nagel!

(An interesting note for 2008 - Orca Whale sightings at Lime Kiln Park on San Juan Island are down by 50% this year. Researchers have stated that there are more Salmon in Rosario Strait, very close to Anacortes, than there are in Haro Strait which is close to San Juan Island. We have sighted Orca Whales very close to Anacortes in Rosario Strait the last 4 out of 5 days.)

"Our course took us through the inner Islands on our 9:30 am tour for a scenic ride. Our passengers were treated to many seabirds and several bald eagles. We caught up with 2 subpods of J-pod just off False Bay, San Juan Island. They were milling with no real direction. We did get to enjoy some playfulness by the J42 the youngest member of J-pod. We also had some great looks at Mike, J42's oldest brother. As we headed toward Anacortes we enjoyed one of my most favorite spots in the island, the south end of Lopez. We tucked in between Castle rock and were treated to several harbor seals hauled out with their pups nursing! There were many pairs of Pigeon Guillemots fishing in the calm water.

On our 3:30 trip we didn't have to go far! We headed up Rosario and found the rest of J-pod foraging at the north end of Cypress Island. Our guests got to enjoy several breaches, spyhops and even an impressive cartwheel. We spent some time with the elders of J-pod Granny J2 (the matriarch) and her son Ruffles J1 (the oldest male in the southern resident). We were also treated to a guest appearance by Faith L57 who was spending much time with J-pod females (J-pod females don't mate with male of their own pod they mate with males from K and L pods)! We also enjoyed harbor seals fishing the flood tide, many seabirds, great blue heron and a bald eagle!-Naturalist Jami Nagel

Orca Whales Sighted From Island Explorer 3!

K40, Raggedy breaching during our 9:30am trip.

A breach during our 3:30pm trip

Captain Carl called in to report that the Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with the Orca Whales! We headed well north on the morning tour toward Canada but we showed our guests whales! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details from Naturalist Bart Rulon and click here to see where the Orca Whales are from space! We started out our trip this morning with lots of wildlife sightings a few minutes from the dock. A Great Blue Heron was stalking the shoreline on Fidalgo Island as we left Cap Sante Marina. Then we spotted a bald eagle perched in a tree just around the corner and several pigeon guillemots in the water. We drove north along the east side of Guemes Island and saw four more bald eagles perched in the trees or flying. On the south end of Guemes we also saw two Columbian black-tailed deer near the edge of the rocks and some harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. As the trip went along we ended up seeing a total of 9 bald eagles today. As we continued north in Rosario Straits we saw some harbor porpoise. In the Strait of Georgia we watched a flock of glaucous-winged gulls and then to my surprise a long-tailed Jaeger flew right by us!! Long-tailed jeagers are a really rare sighting for this area. We went as far north as Point Roberts today to find the orcas. The first orca we found was K40, Raggedy. She was in a playful mood and came out of the water for us on several occasions including two big breaches. Soon K21, Cappuccino, swam over to join Raggedy. The brother and sister swam very close together for a long time and we watched these two orcas for most of our trip. Just before we left the scene we watch another K-pod subpod swim by. This group was very playful showing some breaches, porpoising, and one calf even porpoised upside down!! Naturalist Bart Rulon

3:30pm
The orcas from this morning headed southwest from their earlier position so we chose a route through the inner San Juan Islands for the second trip. We spotted another bald eagle perched in a tree on Fidalgo Island to start off the trip. We spotted several more eagles throughout the San Juan Islands. We also spotted a couple of mother seals swimming around with their pups close by. As we got close to the orcas we spotted hundreds of harbor porpoises just west of Waldron Island. Northeast of Stuart Island is were we found K-pod orcas swimming southwest toward Turn Point. We watched Sequim, K12, Sekiu, K22, Rainshadow, and Tika all the way as they rounded the point. They were moving pretty fast until they hit the current at Turn Point. Along the west side of Stuart Island we moved up to watch a few other orcas. One orca breached for us twice. Soon we were in for a treat as we watched Lobo, K26, appearing to be babysitting the newest member of K-pod K42. the size difference was really obvious. The two swam side by side for a long time. The last orca we watched as we waved goodbye to K-pod was K21, Cappuccino. Along the way home we had several great viewings of Bald eagles perched in the trees lit up by the evening sunshine. Naturalist Bart Rulon

Orca Whales In Front of Anacortes!

Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details on today's tour from Naturalist Kate Janes and click here to see the location of the Orca Whales from space! "The start of the day was ideal, blue skies and calm water, however the icing was to find a portion of the J pod Orca Whales swimming south down Bellingham Channel!! We met up with Slick (J16), Mike (J26), Keet (J33), Alki (J36) and little J42 as they leisurely made their way towards Washington Park! We slowly made our way south and at the southern end of Cypress Island Mike breached!! This only lead to an outburst from little J42. For the next 20 minutes this spunky one year old spyhopped, backdove and breached appearing to try to outdo her older brother! We stayed with the whales until Burrows Island when we had to start heading home! That evening we headed south down Rosario Strait towards the south end of Lopez Island! Shortly after we found ourselves on scene with whales! They were still traveling at the same leisurely pace we enjoyed early on in the day! This time the whales were quite spread out, allowing us to visit with Mike as he cruised on the outskirts! As if she wanted to draw the attention away from Mike, little J42 began her antics yet again with a series of backdives and a spyhop! At Salmon Bank the whales grouped up and began porpoising spraying huge rooster tails behind them!! We left stopping off at Castle Rock for a glimpse of a perched mature Bald Eagle, a Harbor Seal & pup hauled out on the rock and another mother & pup swam nearby!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Whales, Whales Everywhere!!

"We wandered through the inner islands where we not only visited with Bald Eagles, a Great Blue Heron, Harbor Seals but also a few Common Sea Stars exposed due to the low tide! We rounded the western edge of Orcas Island heading north towards Patos! Just south of Mail Bay on Waldron Island an immature Bald Eagle was enjoying the sunshine perched high in a tree!! We caught up with portions of J & K pod just south of Point Roberts in the Strait of Georgia!! Shortly after arriving on scene the whale began porpoising at about 11 knots!! After a short sprint then slowed slightly then without warning Mike (J26) breached!! We also enjoyed the company of Sequim (K12) and her youngster Rainshadow (K37) as they gave our guests some great looks! With the great water conditions we were able to follow the whales "footprints"!! Our morning trip ended with a mature Bald Eagle perched by its nest on Guemes Island!! The afternoon sent us south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca where we found a different group of Southern Residents near Iceberg Point!! These whales were not only breach happy but we also enjoyed them spyhopping, a young male did a series of bellyrolls, taillobes and cartwheels! At one point watching from the stern we watched in awe as two whales breached almost in unison and in close proximity to one another!! This amazing feat was followed by a final breach by one of the two whales!! What an amazing way to end a spectacular day out in the San Juan Islands ! Our day also included visits with Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Porpoise, Turkey Vultures, and the first Red-necked Phalarope of the season!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

A day full of breaches

One of many breaches today!!

Mike, J26, Breaching at close range!!

9:30 Trip
This morning we headed north since our orcas were last spotted up in Canada last night. Along the way we stopped at Peapod Rocks to look at a bunch of harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. A bald eagle was perched there and he took flight and landed again close by for a great photo opportunity on the landing. We spotted three harbor seal moms with pups on the rocks. Soon we found resident orcas just across the border on the south end of Saturna Island near Java Rocks. We saw members of all three pods today. L57, Faith was one of the first orcas we identified. These orcas were swimming within a few feet of shore and they were very active, with spyhops, breaches, and tail lobs. Faith breached for us three times!! Later K20, Spock, joined in on the fun breaching four times at close range. The orcas approached Java Rocks and many of them played in the kelp, and appeared to find some fish in there too, with all their changes of direction. Blackberry, J27, was one of the orcas that spent a lot of time near the kelp going back and forth. After Java Rocks many of these orcas started breaching again and again. What a show they put on for us this morning. Naturalist Bart Rulon

3:30pm Trip
We expected to be heading back out to find the same orcas we spotted this morning, but our plans changed when a Washington state ferry captain told us he spotted some orcas in Thatcher Pass a half an hour before we started our second trip. So we searched hard for orcas in Rosario Straits, and sure enough, we spotted them way off in the distance within ten minutes of looking. These orcas were spread out just east of Decatur Island heading south. Most of the orcas were members of J-pod and they were pretty active. We saw several breaches as we got on scene. We spent lots of time with Speiden, J8, Slick, J16, the youngest member of J-pod, J42, and J26, Mike. Mike breached for us once early on and then later as he approached our boat he breached three times in a row at close range. I was so excited that I was shaking as we watched him go airborne at such close range! We also got several close looks at Slick, J16, and her calf J42 swimming side by side. The orcas were taking us toward Deception Pass so after we had spent lots of time with them we decided to peel off to take a look at Williamson Rocks and Deception Pass. At Williamson Rocks we spotted a harbor seal eating a salmon at the surface, and later we noticed that her pup was swimming with her as she ate it. On the Way home we stopped by Burrows Island and saw two adult peregrine falcons near their nest cliff. What a fantastic day out on the water!! Naturalist Bart Rulon

Super Pod Slumbers!

Stuck in the Middle (Lobo K26, K42, & Sequim K12)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Peering on Patos

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"Leaving the marina today under blue skies we found at Cap Sante Point a Turkey Vulture soaring high above in search of food! Just as we entered Rosario Strait we encountered a fog bank that extended northward towards the Strait of Georgia. At Lawrence Point the fog lifted just in time to show our guests Peapod Rocks where we found a mature Bald Eagle seated just above lounging Harbor Seals! It was just off the shores of Matia Island where we found all three pods of Orca Whales grouped up in two separate groups in a resting pattern!! As we approached we could see exhalation after exhalation as they surfaced emitting their old air from their bowhole! It was quite a breathtaking sight. The group we choose consisted of both J & K pod whales. We quickly found Lobo (K26) and shortly after found his mom, Lea (K14), and the newest member of K pod, K42!! This youngster was sure showing off its new found ability to control its body by spyhopping to check us out!! The whales slowly began to wake up thanks to the antics of the youngsters of the group. We soon had multiple whales spyhopping and a young male began a series of backdives. After a great visit with the whales on the flat calm waters of the Strait of Georgia, we decided to take a side adventure to Sucia Island! Our guests were treated to a first for the crew as we navigated into a very popular Echo Bay then through the channel separating North & South Finger Islands! We watched and listened a Pigeon Guillemots swam near the sandstone cliffs!! We even saw a mother Harbor Seal nursing her young pup on its rocky shores!! The perfect ending to a perfect day was a perched Bald Eagle on the eastern edge of Guemes Island!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales Sighted!

The Island Explorer 3 is heading to the Orca Whales! Two pods have been sighted today! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details on today's tour from Naturalist Kate Janes!

Crash Landing (Solstice L89)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Cutting H2O (Faith L57)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"It was yet another gorgeous day out in the San Juan Islands. We left the marina with an amazing view of Mount Baker that followed us on the rest of our adventure! Heading south down Rosario Strait we rounded the the south end of Lopez Island where we found a group of hauled out Harbor Seals on the rocks surrounding Colville Island!! It wasn't long, near Eagle Point, when we found all three Southern Resident Pods of Orca Whales!! The first whales we visited with represented all 3 pods oddly enough! Polaris, a 15 year old female of J pod, was "wrestling" around with Solstice, a 15 year old male of L pod, when Georgia, an older female of K pod, joined them! We will find out 17 months from now if Polaris will be a first time mom as a result of the activities from today! After a few rolls young Solstice breached twice giving our guests a great head on view of his body leaping from the water!! Not long after our visit with Solstice, Polaris & Georgia another whale joined us. Skana, the older brother of Solstice, seemed to be attempting to keep tabs on his mischievous younger brother! We watched as the whales began to turn and head north, still very spread out. We followed them north where we found the leaders, Ruffles (J1) and his mother Granny (J2) paving the way along the shores of Henry Island. Our guests enjoyed an inner island cruise back to Anacortes. Other wildlife we enjoyed throughout the day included a soaring Bald Eagle, Pigeon Guillemots, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Pelagic & Double-crested Cormorants!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

J-Pod Near Spieden Island

The Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with the Orca Whales! It's a little windy on the Salish Sea today but our guests are getting some great looks at the whales! Click here to see the position of the Orca Whales from space and stay tuned to the Whale Report for details from Naturalist Drew Kelly!

Lunge Feeding Minke Whales at Eastern Bank!

Stay tuned to the Whale Report for details on today's tour from Naturalist Kate Janes! "It was a gorgeous July day and we found ourselves in the flat calm waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca! At Hein Bank we found a Minke Whale feeding on the bait fish that were being pushed up in the water column by this huge underwater shelf!! We zigged and zagged with the whale anticipating its next surfacing! Then it was off to Eastern Bank where 3 more Minke Whales were apparently having a lunch date!! We choose the most surface active whale of the three and did it pay off! The whale disappeared under the water and as we watched for its next appearance we noticed Rhinoceros Auklets resurfacing in a close cluster then quickly disperse, moments later we understood why as the Minke Whale came lunging out of the water!!! Our guests had an amazing look right off the side of the boat! Unfortunately our time was drawing to an end and we reluctantly had to leave those very hungry Minke Whales! In the afternoon we ventured out to Hein & Salmon Bank in search of whales. It wasn't until after a wonderful visit to Smith & Minor Islands where we enjoyed over 50 hauled out Harbor Seals, hundreds of Glaucous-winged Gulls, and a mature Bald Eagle feeding on the northern shore of Minor Island. At McArthur Bank a presumably male Minke Whale, based on size, appeared out of its watery depths! We following its small footprint to gauge its next surfacing! Our guests were not only able to see the Minke Whale's exhalations lingering mid-air but also heard it! Other wildlife we enjoy visiting with included: Harbor Porpoise, Heerman's Gulls, Pigeon Guillemots, swimming & thrashing about feeding Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Common Sea Stars, and even River Otters off the shore of Smith Island!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

A Beautiful Day in the San Juan Islands

"Our day started with a perched mature Bald Eagle on Cap Sante Point looking towards a magnificent Mount Baker!! We ventured through glass calm waters towards Thatcher Pass then turning southward we headed towards Lopez Island. At Castle Rock we watched as Pigeon Guillemots playing in its surrounding waters, then it was onto Swirl Rocks where we enjoyed hauled out Harbor Seals under the watchful eye of yet another mature Bald Eagle! It was then into the Strait of Juan de Fuca for our search for whales! At Hein Bank we found feeding Harbor Porpoise, swimming Harbor Seals, and hundreds of diving Rhinoceros Auklets. We then made our way to Salmon Bank where a Harbor Seal made an unusual appearance hauled out on a log in the middle of Salmon Bank!! Even though the conditions were picture perfect the whales were enjoying their day elsewhere! So each of our guests will get the opportunity to join us again to see whales for free! Although we didn't see whales we enjoyed a beautiful day out on the waters surrounding the San Juans watching as a Caspian Tern plunged into the water, Harbor Porpoise quickly rolling through the water, hundreds of feeding Rhinoceros Auklets, and female Common Murres swam on calm waters!! " - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales Just North of Anacortes!

The Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with Orca Whales! Stay tuned to the Whale Report for an update from Naturalist Bart Rulon! Click on this link to see the location of the Orca Whales from space! We had one of our best, and longest orca shows of the year on today's trip. We started out heading north through Rosario Straits. Our first stop was at Peapod Rocks where we checked out several harbor seals and a bald eagle perched on one of the rocks. We also saw several harbor porpoise in this area too. This morning we were the first boat to find the orcas on the west side of Lummi Island. Captain Carl, first mate, Brooke, and I were all up in the wheel house looking hard for orcas, and all three of us saw a huge splash at the same time off in the distance. A few seconds later an orca came breaching out of the water to make another splash!! That was a pretty good sign as to what the rest of our day would hold. As we approached the scene one orca swam right toward us and breached several times, twice right next to the boat. These orcas were very active, doing lots of breaching, spyhops, and cartwheels. We saw members of all three pods and they were spread out like a wall across Rosario Straits. Early on we saw many J-pod members like Ruffles, J1, Spieden, J8, and Blackberry, J27. Blackberry was swimming close by for a long time, and every once in a while he would breach, or do a cartwheel at close range. K22, Sekiu was hanging out with much of J-pod, and ,Faith, L57 came by for a visit too. We definitely had all three pods today for an official superpod day. It was hard to tell passengers which way to look because breaches were happening in all directions, close by and off in the distance. Other orcas we watched at close range included Slick, J16, Alki, J36, Mike, J26, and J42, Spock, K20, and Comet, K38. The orcas swam us gradually back to the Fidalgo Island area so we were able to spend maximum time with them. They were very entertaining today making this one of our best days of the season. Naturalist Bart Rulon

J, K and L pods today

The weather conditions were perfect for our morning trip today with calm seas and sunshine. We headed north looking for orcas today. Along the way we stopped at Peapod Rocks to view several harbor seals hauled out on the shore and a bald eagle perched on a rock. The eagle even posed for us by opening up his wings for a good photo opportunity. We reached the trailers in an orca superpod just east of Stuart Island. The first orcas we saw were L-pod orcas Skana, L-79, and Mystery, L-85. Swimming along with them was K-pod orca Raggedy, K40. As they reached the shoreline of Stuart Island one orca breached! We drove ahead to Turn Point to watch the orcas pass by the point very close to the shore. They had to swim out of their way to go around a big kelp forest. This group bunched up and became active after passing the point and we saw one breach and some tail slaps. Last we moved offshore to take a close up look at Mega, L41, swimming all by himself. Our return trip was through the inner San Juan Islands giving our passengers a scenic ride home.
Our afternoon trip started out with word that the wind would be picking up in the afternoon. Knowing that we rushed out to find the whales as soon as possible without making any stops along the way. We found members of J-pod and K-pod swimming southward well off the west side of San Juan Island, offshore from Salmon Bank. As we were approaching the scene we saw a couple of orca spy hops. Our first two whales at close range were Granny, J-2, and Sekiu, K-22, swimming together. Next we watched a big group of orcas approach, including Ruffles, with their blows lighting up with back lighting from the sun. Soon we had orcas in all directions and several breaches in a row. One orca breached 5 times in a row for us. The wind was slowly getting stronger so we decided to take a return trip back through the inner islands going through Cattle Pass. A Stellers sea lion rolled around at the surface and swallowed a salmon with one big gulp right in front of us just inside Cattle Pass. Later we stopped to watch two adult bald eagles and two immature eagles on Decatur Island. One adult bald eagle was perched right next to the nest with the big chick perched inside. We got to see one last bald eagle perched high on a dead snag bathed in full sunlight. Soon a turkey vulture flew right in front of him. Within a minute or two the eagle took flight and flew right over our boat. Two great blue herons were flying high above at the same time. What a great way to end a beautiful day. Naturalist Bart Rulon

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

A Youngster's Spunk! (Lea & K42)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"Leaving Anacortes under blue skies we made our way through Guemes Channel and at its end is where we found the fog waiting for us! We cruised through Rosario Strait towards the south end of Lopez Island watching as Rhinoceros Auklets, Harbor Porpoise, Pigeon Guillemots, Glaucous-winged Gulls, and even a Washington State Ferry break through the fog in an eerie fashion! It was at Salmon Bank in the fog that we found our first Orca!! The atmosphere was simply magical! The whales of both J & K pod were scattered throughout the waters around Salmon Bank and heading southward towards home!! As we slowly maneuvered through the fog we happened upon a group of three whales of K pod! To our delight we enjoyed the company of Lea, K42 (the newest member of the southern residents) and Lea's oldest Lobo!! Our guests watched as little K42 hugged close to mom. Its 6-8 foot body looked much smaller next to Lea, who is probably 25 feet in length! As our time with the whales came to an end so did the fog! We left under blue skies after a visit with Blackberry (J27) who bid us farewell!! We retraced our path back towards home giving our guests looks at Swirl Rock and the numerous hauled out Harbor Seals. We passed through the waters of between Castle Rock & Colville Island and slowly returned into Rosario Strait where we gazed upon Burrows Island Lighthouse and the feeding Harbor Porpoise in its surrounding waters!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Island Explorer 3 is On-Scene with Orca Whales!

Our guests are watching Orca Whales just north of Anacortes! Click on this link to see the location of the Orca Whales from space and stay tuned to the Whale report for details from Naturalist Kate Janes!

Lovely Surprise (Minke Whale)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Making Way (Oreo J22)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

Rising Male (Mike 26)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

On Mother's Heels (Slick J16, J42 & Alki)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"Being that is was the seventh day of the seventh month most certainly brought us luck!! We ventured into Rosario Strait under blue skies where we found a Minke Whale! We watched as the whale set course for a number of respiration's and then lunged!! After visiting with our first whale of the day we headed northward towards Lummi Rocks where we found the Orcas of J pod!! The whales were spread out enjoying the day in a lackadaisical pace! The passed Rosario Strait and seemed to be destined for Bellingham Channel, then we watched as the leaders Granny (J2) & Ruffles (J1) began milling about Sinclair Island. A decision was finally made as they lead us home through Bellingham Channel! This was the first time for the crew to see Orcas near the Cone Islands, which is where the film crew for the Free Willy Movie filmed the capture scene!! Our afternoon lead us south towards the waters just outside Deception Pass! One of our first visitors was Oreo's family. Then we found Ruffles (J1) & Granny (J2) swimming near Faith (L57)!! In the mix of Orcas swimming was a lone Minke Whale attempting to join the family!! What a treat to have both trips enjoy a doubleheader!! We ended the day with the Orcas at Castle Rock as Slick (J16) ushered her youngsters Mike, Keet, Alki & little J42 through the breathtaking pass!! The grand finale to one spectacular day was a youngster breaching an outstanding 5 times in the glow of the sun!!!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales in Sight from Island Explorer 3!

J-Pod and some L-Pod Whales are being very active on this morning's tour! Click here to see where the Orca Whales are from space and stay tuned to the Whale Report for an update from Naturalist Jami Nagel! "We headed out today on our 9:30am trip with overcast skies that quickly turned to blue. Our route took us around the south end of Lopez Island were we took a peek between Castle Rock and Lopez to find Pigeon Guillemots feeding and sunning themselves on the rocks. We then headed to Swirl rocks were the harbor seals with their pups were hauled out. Not long after we were on scene with members of J, K and L Pods offshore of Eagle Point. We found a very active group! They were spyhopping, lunging, pec. slaps, cartwheels and lots of wrestling just under the surface. We were able to ID L57 Faith, J11 Blossom, J19 Princess Angeline, J27 Blackberry and K20 Spock w/ calf comet. On our way home we stopped to check out harbor seals at Colville and 2 mature bald eagles, most likely a mated pair! -Naturalist Jami Nagel

Minke Whales Feeding at Hein Bank!

"Our search began in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. We ventured towards Salmon Bank and the southwestern portion of San Juan Island. Heading west in calm waters we found 2 Minke Whales feeding along the shelf of Hein Bank. They zigged and zagged focused on feeding until curiosity got the best of one of the Minkes as our guests got great looks at the whale moving quickly through the water! We enjoyed the calm water conditions along with a multitude of other animals including feeding Harbor Porpoise in Rosario Strait, Bald Eagles, diving Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Pelagic & Double-crested Cormorants! By the afternoon the winds had picked up as we headed back into the Strait of Juan de Fuca! We ventured back towards Salmon Bank cutting a grid pattern throughout its water as we watched a frenzy of bird activity producing feeding Glaucous-winged Gulls, Heerman's Gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets and a Caspian Tern!! We made our way back towards McArthur Bank and as we scanned a Minke Whale appeared briefly! We had two glimpse and then it disappeared in the small chop that had developed. Our Minke's quick visit was witnessed only by a few on board, and because we pride ourselves in giving our guests great looks at whales, each of our guests received a "It's Just a Fluke" to join us again to see whales for free! We however enjoyed another wonderful day out in the San Juans taking in not only the beauty of the island but also the other wildlife that calls this place home!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Minke Whales With Fish Breath!

Our first whale sighting today was two Minke Whales near south Lopez Island! Our guests could smell the "fishy" breath as these whales would exhale. Click here to see the position of the

Island Explorer 3 from space and stay tuned for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes as we continue our search for whales! "We celebrated the 4th of July out in the calm waters surrounding the San Juan Islands! Heading into the Strait of Juan de Fuca brought Harbor Porpoise, Harbor Seals, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Heerman's Gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Pigeon Guillemots! It was at McArthur Bank that we found an extremely friendly Minke Whale! We had some great looks as it chose a set path and a consistent speed. Then without warning it decided to do a little people watching of its own!! Our guests got great looks off our stern as we just drifted out of gear! We were even given the rare opportunity to smell its breath- making it really apparent to our guests where it got its nickname Stinky Minke!! The Minke lead us towards Smith & Minor Island where we found a Tufted Puffin who was ready for its photo shoot!! We also visited with 10 Bald Eagles, hauled out Harbor Seals & fishing Rhinoceros Auklets!! In the afternoon we ventured south around the south end of Lopez Island and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca! It was between Salmon Bank, heading west towards Hein Bank where we found 2 Minke Whales! They both surfaced a couple of times and then a large footprint formed where the two whales had been headed. Based on the size of the two whales we possibly could have witnessed Minke's mating (female Minke Whales are larger than the males)!! Apparently wanting their privacy we were unable to find the two again, so we continued our way west towards Hein Bank where we came upon 2 Minke Whales enjoying a smorgasbord of baitfish!! Watching the bird activity gave us clues to where the Minke's would next surface!! We spent an enjoyable early evening on glass calm waters watching feeding Minke Whales, Harbor Seals and the very comical Rhinoceros Auklets!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Orca Whales Sighted!!

Orca Whales have been sighted just north of Anacortes heading south! The Island Explorer 3 will be leaving the dock shortly for the 9:30AM tour - stay tuned to the Whale Report for updates from Naturalist Bart Rulon! Our morning trip started out well since we knew the orcas were close to home. As we left the dock we watch a bald eagle get chased around by some glaucous-winged gulls. He perched in a tree close by giving us a good viewing. Since there was an extreme low tide today we also saw many ochre sea stars along the rocks and pilings. It didn't take very long before we were able to find J-pod just off the south end of Lopez Island. We saw a lot of J26, Mike, close up and we also watched as two J-pod calves played around together, porpoising, tail slapping, and just rolling around with each other. No moms were nearby to help identify which calved they were, but they sure were having fun. A bald eagle flew low to the water right toward us and gave all our passengers a great view on the bow. Next we spotted a minke whale amongst the orcas. We spent 15 minutes watching the minke whale and he came out of the water twice lunge feeding at close range. We were close to Swirl Rocks so we decided to take a short detour to look for wildlife on the rocks. We spotted lots of harbor seals on the rocks, and several oystercatchers were flying around causing lots of noise. The seals seemed to get alarmed by the oystercatchers antics and about half of them slipped into the water. Next we drove back out to watch the orcas one last time as they had moved north along San Juan Island. We said goodbye to J-pod then headed back along the path we drove out on. Naturalist Bart Rulon

3:30Pm Trip - By our afternoon trip the weather had improved. The rain stopped and the sun kept trying to come out. We started out this trip with our bald eagle perched on the same tree we saw him on this morning. The orcas had moved further away from us so we knew we probably wouldn't make any stops until we reached them. Along our way however we saw lots of harbor seals in the water, harbor porpoise, and several Dall's porpoise. Shortly after that we found J-pod again out near Hein Bank. They were spread out pretty well. The first orca we saw was Mike, J26. We watched him for a while then we moved over to watch a group of 4 orcas traveling together closer to shore. It was J11, Blossom, J27, Blackberry, J31, Tsuchi, and J39. They were swimming in a tight group then as they got closer they appeared to be chasing salmon because they spread apart and did several changes of direction. All day we heard chatter on the radio that nobody had spotted J1, Ruffles, or J2, Granny. We were the first boat today to spot Ruffles, J1, as he was swimming slowly by himself. We never did find Granny but I'm sure she was out there somewhere because J-pod was pretty spread out today. The last sub pod we watched today was J14, Samish, J30 Riptide, J37, Hy'Shqa, and J40. It was a beautiful evening with orcas, sunshine and calm seas. Naturalist Bart Rulon

J and K pods crossing the border, and our first Heermann's Gull!

We started out our day with several great sightings of purple sea stars on the pilings and rocks as we worked our way out of Cap Sante Marina. Then within a few minutes we spotted a bald eagle perched in a tree on Fidalgo Island. By the time we reached Rosario Straits the fog was thick. We drove trough the fog for about an hour working our way southwest. We did stop Briefly at Colville Island to check out a bunch of harbor seals hauled out on the rocks. By the time we hit salmon Bank, off San Juan Island, the fog was starting to clear. We found the orcas just northeast of Discovery Island in Canada. It was J-pod and K-pod heading east. They were in a sleeping pattern with K-pod orcas and J-pod orcas gathered in two separate groups. We started out watching K-pod up close. Cappuccino, K21, and Raggedy, K4o were two orcas we saw a lot of up close. We could see J-pod orcas swimming 250 yards away as we were watching K-pod up close. As they got closer to San Juan Island it was obvious that they were starting to wake up and spread out. Lobo, K26, did several upside down tail slaps, and we saw four spy hops within 15 minutes. Just as we had our last viewing of orcas for the day we spotted Mega, L-41 heading south. So we were able to see orcas from all three resident pods today. On the way back home captain Carl spotted a minke whale near Iceberg Point. We only had about 15 minutes to watch the minke whale but it was worth it because it came shooting out of the water twice lunge feeding! Other species seen today included pelagic cormorants, brandt's cormorants, rhinoceros auklets, glaucous-winged gulls, harbor porpoises, one common murre, and the first Heermann's gull arrival of the year! Naturalist - Bart Rulon

Orca Whales Close to Home!

"Our day started like a scene from a pirates movie. A slight marine haze blanketed the islands creating quite the ambiance for searching for whales! We didn't have to go far to find the tall dorsal fins of J pod cutting through the glassy waters. As they made their way across the southern end of Rosario Strait they angled towards Lopez Island. A couple of the young whales seemed excited as they breached and taillobed! We spent some great time with the Orcas while they took their time around Lopez Island. We watched as a few fished in the riptides near Colville Island. In the midst of the Orcas a Minke Whale appeared for a special visit! Our guests enjoyed this doubleheader and seeing the physical difference between toothed whales & baleen whales!! What a great surprise! Other wildlife seen during the morning trip included: Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murre, Harbor Seals, Bald Eagles, an Eagle's nest, Common Sea Stars, Black Oystercatchers, Peregrine Falcons, Harbor Porpoise, Pigeon Guillemots, Glaucous-winged Gulls, & Cormorants! By the afternoon the marine haze had lifted leaving us with blue skies as far as the eye could see! We found J pod not far from where we had left them in the morning, just off Salmon Bank in the Strait of Juan de Fuca! We were welcomed with a breach by a young whale as J pod made its way in a southward direction. After spending some time with a small subpod we spotted Ruffles (J1) and decided to spend time with our local celebrity! It wasn't long before some of the rest of J pod joined Ruffles. Slick (J16) and little J42 gave our guests some great looks as little J42 stole are hearts as she porpoised just behind her mom!! We ended our amazing evening with J pod with one last visit with Ruffles. Then headed towards Smith & Minor Islands. There we saw 9 Bald Eagles, at least 30 Harbor Seals, hundreds of Glaucous-winged Gulls, Black Oystercatchers, Rhinoceros Auklets, and a pair of Bald Eagles at their nest (on the sandy beaches of Minor Island)! We watched as the two eagles called to one another and bent over deep in the nest to feed their small eaglets! A beautiful way to end yet another spectacular day on the water!" - Naturalist Kate Janes

Whale Watching Report

Thursday, July 31, 2008

J-pod on both trips today

Orca Whales Near Alden Bank!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

K-pod at Middle Bank

Orca and Minke Whales Today!!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

3 Very Friendly Minke Whales

Monday, July 28, 2008

Transient Orcas near Thatcher Pass!!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Orca Whales Just Off Turn Point!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Island Explorer 3 on-Scene with Orca Whales!!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Orca Whales in Sight!!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

J-pod on both trips today

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Orcas off Lime Kiln Park

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

J16 Subpod Steal the Show All Day!!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Orca Whales Sighted from Island Explorer 3!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Orca Whales in Sight!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Orca Whales Sighted From Island Explorer 3!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Orca Whales In Front of Anacortes!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Whales, Whales Everywhere!!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

A day full of breaches

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Super Pod Slumbers!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Orca Whales Sighted!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

J-Pod Near Spieden Island

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Lunge Feeding Minke Whales at Eastern Bank!

Friday, July 11, 2008

A Beautiful Day in the San Juan Islands

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Orca Whales Just North of Anacortes!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

J, K and L pods today

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

Monday, July 7, 2008

Island Explorer 3 is On-Scene with Orca Whales!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Orca Whales in Sight from Island Explorer 3!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Minke Whales Feeding at Hein Bank!

Friday, July 4, 2008

Minke Whales With Fish Breath!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Orca Whales Sighted!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

J and K pods crossing the border, and our first Heermann's Gull!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Orca Whales Close to Home!

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