August 17, 2011

It was a most beautiful morning in the Salish Sea today as we headed over to Griffin Bay on the south/east side of San Juan Island in Washington. Once we got into San Juan Channel we were able to spot a large group of our resident L-pod members cruising west towards Puget Sound. They were waking up from a nap and beginning to be active. The whales that were most obvious were males: Mega (L41), Skana (L79), and Solstice (L89). The rest of the males' families were also present, the L22 and L12 matrilines, surrounding them and playing with them in the sunny waters. The one thing that made this trip unique above others was the sheer number of spyhops the whales were doing. They must've liked what they saw above water because time and time again their heads would pop up, sometimes in tandems of doubles and even one triple spy-hop! We were able to count over a dozen spy-hops in total which is astounding for any trip. Before we headed back out of the area we manoeuvred over to Whale Rocks and peeked at some Stellar Sea Lions and Harbour Seals there. Some were on the rocks while others were swimming cautiously around the Bull Kelp beds nearby. The rocks were also the home of many Cormorants and Gulls, simply enjoying a nice summer's morning. Nothing beats an Orca's smiling face first thing in the morning, let alone twelve!

See Captain Brad's photos below: