Saturday, September 13

September whale watching continues to be absolutely fantastic! This morning, we encountered L-pod whales off of San Juan Island. With warm weather, calm seas and clear blue skies, it was a truly incredible late summer day spent in the company of orcas. Our hydrophone was working wonderfully as we were able to eavesdrop on the vocalizations of some very chatty whales. Although they were spread out during the beginning of our trip, we were thrilled as a large group came together and awed us with some great aerial behaviour, including cartwheels and breaches! A young L-pod calf breached repeatedly. It is always a privilege to see these playful young animals. On the way back to the harbour, we stopped at Trial Island, where we watched several harbour seals enjoying the late morning sun!

Our afternoon trip was spectacular as well, as the whales had made their way east to the southern end of Rosario Strait. There we found the L-pod whales moving slowly northeast but in a playful mood. We had some excellent passes from Gaia (L78) and other members of the L2 matriline. We witnessed the speed and power of the orcas as a few of them engaged in some high-speed porpoising! With some tailslaps, spyhops and even a few distant breaches thrown in, it was a trip to remember! All of this whale action was made even more amazing by the majestic backdrop of Mount Baker.