Today Captain Chris and I went on a whirlwind of a tour! With a report in hand of whales traveling south near the Anacortes ferry terminal we set out for a very determined tour. We left Roche Harbor heading south through both Spieden and San Juan Channels. We realized that we would not be able to see the orcas and make it back to Roche Harbor in the regular three hour window, so we consulted our group and they were very excited to go for a longer trip. Through Cattle Pass (between Lopez and San Juan Islands) we saw two minke whales! Minke whales are the second smallest baleen whales, only larger than the pygmy right whale.... BUT they are the smallest species of rorqual, the same group of species which includes blue whales, fin whales, and humpback whales! A bit farther south at Whale Rocks we found six Stellar's sea lions hauled out and sunning themselves. These sea lions are massive, weighing up to 2,000 pounds! We finally caught up with the orcas at Deception Pass on Whidbey Island. We spent some magical time with the J16 subgroup... Mom "Slick" with kids "Mike," "Alki," and "Echo." We spent some quality time with the family and then started our return trip. We ended up traveling back north via the west side of San Juan, therefore circumnavigating the island, so we were able to see all of the beautiful scenery that the coast of the island has to offer. A definite highlight was going right past Lime Kiln lighthouse with some harbor porpoises swimming out in front of the Seahawk. All being said we had a six hour trip that was full of wildlife!
Sarah, M/V Seahawk, San Juan Outfitters Kayaking and Whale Watching