San Juan Islands and Strait of Georgia
Thoughts of the airplanes and traffic of yesterday were left behind as the Motor Vessel Sea Lion plied the peaceful waters east of San Juan Island in the early morning sunshine. A Zodiac hummed towards shore at the town of Friday Harbor on a special mission to pick up live Dungeness crabs for tonight’s dinner. Once the bounty was safely on board, the ship continued on its way.
Just before breakfast, killer whales appeared in the distance. What an incredible start to our first day together! Three individuals rose directly ahead. Over time, we spotted a number of others on either side. We identified two as J17 and J14. These are members of J-Pod, a group of resident fish eaters commonly found in this region. The sleek, black-and-white bodies surfaced with the snowcapped peaks of the Olympic Mountains as a backdrop. People squeezed in time for breakfast as they saw fit, and for several hours we enjoyed the rhythm and grace of these striking cetaceans around us. The animal in the photo can be easily recognized as an adult male by the tall, erect dorsal fin. No bones support this immense fin, only fibrous tissue. To the delight of those on the bow, a boisterous calf breached repeatedly. We left the killer whales to their activities, and headed towards Sydney to clear Canadian customs.
Throughout the afternoon the ship cruised north, first threading between the Canadian Gulf Islands then entering the broader passage of the Strait of Georgia. These waters are rich with life, and we observed hundreds of Pacific loons, cormorants, and rhinoceros auklets either paddling through the cold water or flying past in loose flocks. Some harbor seals lay strewn like plump sausages on offshore rocks, and others watched us from the water with their shiny heads floating like silver beach balls at the surface. A favorite sighting was that of Dall’s porpoises, boldly marked creatures that throw up a rooster tail of spray at high speed. The day was relaxing, allowing time to settle into shipboard life and enjoy the Pacific Northwest at its best.
Thoughts of the airplanes and traffic of yesterday were left behind as the Motor Vessel Sea Lion plied the peaceful waters east of San Juan Island in the early morning sunshine. A Zodiac hummed towards shore at the town of Friday Harbor on a special mission to pick up live Dungeness crabs for tonight’s dinner. Once the bounty was safely on board, the ship continued on its way.
Just before breakfast, killer whales appeared in the distance. What an incredible start to our first day together! Three individuals rose directly ahead. Over time, we spotted a number of others on either side. We identified two as J17 and J14. These are members of J-Pod, a group of resident fish eaters commonly found in this region. The sleek, black-and-white bodies surfaced with the snowcapped peaks of the Olympic Mountains as a backdrop. People squeezed in time for breakfast as they saw fit, and for several hours we enjoyed the rhythm and grace of these striking cetaceans around us. The animal in the photo can be easily recognized as an adult male by the tall, erect dorsal fin. No bones support this immense fin, only fibrous tissue. To the delight of those on the bow, a boisterous calf breached repeatedly. We left the killer whales to their activities, and headed towards Sydney to clear Canadian customs.
Throughout the afternoon the ship cruised north, first threading between the Canadian Gulf Islands then entering the broader passage of the Strait of Georgia. These waters are rich with life, and we observed hundreds of Pacific loons, cormorants, and rhinoceros auklets either paddling through the cold water or flying past in loose flocks. Some harbor seals lay strewn like plump sausages on offshore rocks, and others watched us from the water with their shiny heads floating like silver beach balls at the surface. A favorite sighting was that of Dall’s porpoises, boldly marked creatures that throw up a rooster tail of spray at high speed. The day was relaxing, allowing time to settle into shipboard life and enjoy the Pacific Northwest at its best.
