This morning a fantastic group of guests eagerly joined us for a whale watching excursion. We made our way east towards the San Juan Islands of Washington state and passed San Juan Island itself heading north.

We reached Turn Point where a lighthouse sits on Stuart Island. Here we were greeted by the blows and black dorsal fins of Southern Resident Orcas, specifically the members of J-pod! What a sight to see! They were moving fast as they headed towards their favourite area, the western shores of San Juan Island.
We saw several individuals pass by close to the island before we recognized one of the matrilines traveling close together. It was Slick (J-16) and her three offspring, Mike (J-26), Alki (J-36) and Echo (J-42). Orcas are tight-knit creatures who love to swim close to each other.

Many of the whales that belong to J-pod passed our boat, each taking our breath away with their speed and obvious intelligence. After a great morning visiting the whales, we took our guests to the Oak Bay Marina where we docked. The waterfront was very rough, so we thought it would be a more comfortable ride for our guests. The bonus was getting to see 3 chubby Harbour Seals swimming at the dock, hoping someone would feed them some fish! We had a great day with an awesome group of people! Thank you!