Orca Whales

A quick blog to update our guests on whale sightings. We've been out on the water quite a bit recently and have seen whales 3 of the last 4 trips, which is a very good streak in April, especially considering our Resident Killer Whales have not been around in over a month. This means our sightings have been with Transient Killer Whales. For those new to the distinction between the two types: Our Resident Killer Whales primarily eat salmon, while Transient Killer Whales...

San Juan Island wildlife update for Wednesday, July 7th, 2010:

Don and Tim reported back that they saw our Southern Resident Killer Whales on this gorgeous sunny day! For many of their guests it was their first time seeing whales, and a not-necessarily-expected but certainly welcome surprise!

San Juan Island 5 hour sea kayak tour wildlife update for Sunday, July 4th:

Kayak guide Katy reported back from her 5 hour sea kayak tour today that not only did she see our Southern Resident Killer Whales but she was so surrounded by them that her return was delayed! She and her guests rafted up in some kelp, and had to wait for all the whales to swim away before they could paddle again.

San Juan Outfitters wildife report for Saturday, July 4th:

I paddled out on a 5 hour Whale Sanctuary Tour yesterday, and boy did we see whales! As we paddled down the west side we saw whales from J and K pod all spread out along the Haro Strait. We rafted up in a patch of bull kelp and watched them swim by for a long time. It was gorgeous watching them surface, and we even saw mothers and calves! The highlights were definitely seeing some behaviors like tail slaps...

San Juan Island sea kayak wildlife update for Tuesday June 8th:

Yesterday I paddled out on our whale sanctuary 5 hour sea kayak tour. We left under blue skies but stiff breezes, and had a gorgeous day on the water. We saw and heard bald eagles, harbor seals, cormorants, black oystercatchers and more! We were down by lime kiln when we received reports that L pod was coming up island from the south, so all our fingers were tightly crossed and we waited in hope, but then the...

Captain Brian G. and I went out for a private charter this morning, and what a gorgeous morning it was! Some spectacular highlights were watching a peregrine falcon in flight (3 different times!) off Turn Point, watching a school of harbor porpoise race towards an oncoming boat and bow ride (not typical behavior), and getting some amazing views of a large herd of male mouflon sheep. They were off by themselves, and we saw some good examples of aggression between...

Happy March everyone! February was such a mild, gorgeous month (not quite usual) so we'll wait to see what kind of weather March brings!

This week there have been many reports of gray whales feeding off of Whidbey Island further east in the Salish Sea. Here is what the Orca Network has to say: "In Washington, Gray whales were once thought to be strictly seasonal travelers along the outer coast. We now know that these waters are more than just a stop on a...

The population of the Southern Resident Killer (Orca) Whales is still on the rise! Sunday was the first sighting of brand new calf L114, to first-time mom L77, Matia. This birth brings our current total to 89 whales!
Typically in the winter months the southern resident orca whales disperse and travel much more, so last week's SUPERPOD of all three resident orca pods (J, K, & L) together in the straits was cause for excitement!
Here at San Juan Outfitters we're...

It's technically winter here-- although all this sunshine would make anyone doubt it-- and although it's not prime whale season here in the Salish Sea, they've been popping up everywhere!

This week a humpback was spotted off the southern tip of Whidbey Island, a gray whale spotted near Camano Island and a small pod of four orcas were spotted in the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca (south of Vancouver Island).

Both resident (fish eating) and transient (mammal eating) killer whales, also known as orca whales, live in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands. The Salish Sea is home to a huge amount of biodiversity, allowing animals large and small to thrive. There is a lot of research being conducted on the whales, and one way scientists gather information is by recording underwater acoustics using hydrophones. This allows data on whales to be collected even when they...