Today we left Roche Harbor at 11:00 with reports of transient orcas in Canadian waters. We went through John's Pass on the way to the reports of the whales and got a beautiful scenic view of the San Juans. We got to the area were the transient family was hunting and enjoyed watching them hunt and even make a few kills! It is always enjoyable to see this animals at their most active hunting state. We even got to see some surface behaviors including porpoising and even some handstands! Handstands are actually one of the most rare surface behaviors that we see so to get to see the whales do it multiple times was pretty awesome! After watching the whales for over an hour we headed back towards Roche Harbor. On the way back we stopped at Spieden Island as saw a group of harbor seals hauled out sunning themselves. One even surprised us near the boat and gave us a great look at its big endearing eyes. It was a spectacular day out on the water and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves!
Naturalist Rachel
M/V Sea Hawk, San Juan Island Outfitters