We headed out of Roche Harbor headed North for reports of whales in Boundry Pass. We found the whales just North of Turn Point on Stewart Island. The whales were traveling south at a pretty fast pace. Usually when we see whales traveling fast they exhibit a behavior called porpoising. Porpoising is when the whales come out of the water at bursts of speed in order to gain momentum in the water. We got a great look a the J-16s which includes Slick and her three offspring including the big 23 year old male Mike. We watched the whales for a while and then headed back to Roche harbor through Johns pass. In Johns pass we saw about 8 bald eagles including a mating pair near their nest. We then got behind Spiden Island and saw some harbor seals hauled out on the rocks sunning themselves. It is pupping season right now for the harbor seals and we were lucky enough to see a few pups in the midst of the adults. Not only did we get to see whales and a great deal of wildlife it was also a beautiful day on the water. There are not many days here when you are able to see the Olympic mountains as well as the Cascade mountains. All in all it was a great trip!
Naturalist Rachel
M/V Sea Hawk, San Juan Outfitters