Sunday, June 17th

This afternoon we headed to San Juan Island to meet up with the whales of J pod who were travelling northward up the west coast of the island. The whales put on a great show for Father's Day! We had an excellent pass from Ruffles (J1) and Mike (J26), and were also pleased to see J41 the youngest calf in the pod. A highlight of the trip were a few spectacular half-breaches and some fantastic tail slapping behaviour. To finish the trup with a wonderful tour of the Chain Islets.



This evening we headed north towards Active Pass to catch up with J-pod as they travelled northeast towards the Fraser River. The calm waters of Swanson Channel made for an amazing trip as we caught up with a resting pod of 25 whales. When whales are resting they surface almost in unison, and it is not unusual for the whole pod to line up in one big row. Trips like these are great for photographers as guests came away with some nice photographs and spectacular video. With sightings of the large bull Ruffles (J1), sprouter males Mike (J26) and Blackberry (J27), along with Slick (J16) and her new calf, our guests and crew had a wonderful experience. The aproximately 65 mile round trip was definitely worth it!