Lauren Fritz, M/V Kestrel, 07/22/17, 10 am Tour
Our whale watch tours are always changing – we never see the same thing, and no two tours are the same! That’s the fun of coming out with San Juan Safaris. M/V Kestrel had an amazing morning tour up in the Canadian Gulf Islands today with three different pods of Transient orcas.
It was definitely a Pacific Northwest kind of day – a bit drizzly and overcast, so we were excited to get all bundled up in our Mustang suits. It’s the coziest way to whale watch! After boarding the vessel, Captain Mike pulled us safely out of Friday Harbor and we turned north, on our way to find the whales that had been reported. We flew past East Point on Saturna Island and turned northwest, heading up the shorelines of several of the Gulf Islands. I don’t get a chance to come up here very much, and the scenery is incredible!
When Kestrel arrived on scene with the Transient killer whales, we were so excited to see numerous blows dancing across the surface of the water. Several families were traveling north, spread out over a half mile. We watched a massive male and several of his family members, including a wee little calf that was hanging out right next to his mother. Check out some of my favorite shots from the trip below.
Thanks to those of you who joined us today. It was a pleasure having you on the water, and we’d love to see you back out with us when you return to the San Juan Islands!
Lauren Fritz, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
