[Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 08/25/18, 5:30 pm Tour]
Wow. That’s the only word I can think of to accurately depict our amazing sunset whale watch this evening. The crazy thing is, we only have a handful sunset trips left! We are stopping them this Sunday because the sun is unfortunately setting earlier and earlier, and it’s not safe to be out past dark. So, we’ve been savoring every minute that we’re out on the water in the beautiful glow of sunset and dusk. And today’s trip reminded me why sunset trips are my absolute favorite time to be out on the water.
We encountered the T34’s, T36’s, and T37B’s near Green Point on Spieden Island, on the move and headed a bit northwest towards the Cactus Islands. They were frolicking, playing, and simply enjoying each other’s company – always a beautiful thing to see. These incredibly social animals are fascinating to watch. The way they interact with each other makes you realize there’s a whole lot going on in their massive brains, and that we’re probably not the smartest species on the planet…orcas have it figured out!
We followed them in the beautiful glowing light of late evening, watching their blows as they surfaced and the splashes that resulted from their bodies propelling themselves forward. It was poetic. We watched as they made a kill (hey, it was past dinner time!), and then transitioned into a quick traveling behavior. They were headed towards Turn Point on Stuart Island, and this was about the time where we had to slowly motor around and head home. We left them with happy hearts and big smiles, stoked on another successful whale watch.
On the way home, we made sure to swing by Spieden Island and see some amazing sheep and deer – they love the late evening time and seem to hang out on the grassy slopes on the south side of the island right before the sun sets. We even saw some stags and rams!
Thank you Transients for paying us another wonderful visit! It’s up to us to continue protecting your beautiful home – here at San Juan Safaris, we’re doing our best. A portion of every ticket sale goes directly towards orca research and conservation. So keep whale watching and spreading the word. It matters!
Lauren Fritz, San Juan Safaris
