Yesterday we left Roche harbor for a 3:00 whale watch with the anticipation of a great day ahead of us. We headed out towards Haro Strait and followed the reports of a large group of whales at around Turn Point. We got a little North of Turn Point and saw a huge group traveling North through Boundary Pass. The large group that we were seeing consisted of all of K pod and a portion of L pod as well. Captain Chris and I estimated about 25-30 whales in the area. They were all traveling very close together and displaying what is called respiratory synchronization, which means that the families were all coming up and breathing at the same time. We enjoyed serenely watching the whales for quite a bit of time and then headed back to Roche by way of John's Pass. After going through John's Pass we stopped at the Cactus Islands where we saw quite a few seals and an adult bald eagle. It was a very well rounded trip that included great looks of a large portion of our resident whales and some other wildlife that we have in the area. Those components combined with beautiful weather make for a great trip!
Naturalist Rachel
M/V Sea Hawk, San Juan Outfitters