Tuesday, July 17

This morning, we travelled east to San Juan Island, where we had sighted J-pod the evening before. After an exhaustive search of the coast, we headed for Hein Bank to search for minke whales. Shortly after arriving on scene with a minke whale southwest of Hein Bank, we received that J-pod had been sighted in the fog near Albert Head off Victoria. We were able to meet up with J-pod in the rain near a navigational buoy known as Victor Hotel. We found the whales in a resting pattern and we were able to see all 25 of whales of J-pod surfacing and diving in unison! The light rain only added to our west coast adventure. It was a remarkable experience.

For our afternoon trip, we caught up with J-pod as they were crossing Haro Strait, swimming towards San Juan Island in the fog. The trip this afternoon was a surreal experience; calm winds and light fog made for an amazing time. We were treated to some amazing behaviour, including breaches and a magnificent spyhop! We travelled with J-pod as they made their way towards Pile Point on San Juan Island, spending time with several different groups of whales along the way. What an incredible tour!

On the evening trip, we encountered J-pod near Pile Point again foraging for salmon. A highlight of the evening trip was a wonderful encounter with a young whale who was foraging, slapping its flukes and even breaching near our boat. We also spent some time with Mike (J26), who was foraging in the calm waters off San Juan Island. Today was a fantastic day on the water.