The only way I have come to describe days like yesterday is “San Juan Special.” Those days that I am trying to explain the area to guests and the only thing I feel like I can say, “Do you see how beautiful this is?!”
You could have water skied on the mighty Haro Strait yesterday, and it was difficult to tell where the water ended and the sky began at the horizon. The whole strait felt still and it was a magical day to encounter some wildlife.
The M/V Seahawk left the harbor and headed down San Juan Island to the Eagle Point area. There we encountered many of our Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs), but our stars of the day seemed to be members of the J17 matriline, who perfectly illustrated the bond between mother and calf! We were fortunate enough to encounter two of the youngest members of the community, J53 with her mother J17 “Princess Angeline” and J54 with his mother J28 “Polaris.” These two baby orcas look super fat and active, just the best things you could possibly say about a calf! We had a fantastic day watching their antics on both our afternoon trip at 1:00pm and our fantastic sunset charter in the evening. It was definitely a day that will be marked as a highlight for me looking back on the season!
Lead Naturalist Sarah, M/V Seahawk, San Juan Outfitters
Calf surfaces just behind mother. This is often called eschelon swimming, when the baby is just being pulled in adults slip stream.