Saturday, October 13

This morning, we headed towards San Juan Island in flat calm waters in search of our resident orcas. It was foggy, but this just added to the west coast experience! Arriving on scene near Hannah Heights, we found two sprouter males including J30 (Riptide). Not only did we get an amazing visual experience, but the calm winds allowed us to hear the whales through the fog before we could even see them. Later in the trip, we were fortunate to spend some time with Ruffles (J1), the oldest whale in the southern resident community. It was a fantastic way to end the trip.

In the afternoon, we travelled to the southern end of San Juan Island, where we encountered the J16 matriline approaching Hein Bank. It was a fantastic experience, as we found the family group in a playful mood. It was a thrill to watch the wonderful antics of the young calf J42, and the many tail slaps of another young orca. All this whale action was framed by the wonderful backdrop of Mount Baker. October whale watching is spectacular, as we also start to see many of the sea ducks that spend their winters here. Today, we saw an incredible amount of white-winged scoters enjoying the shallow nutrient waters of Hein Bank. It was a great afternoon on the Salish Sea.