By Captain Ken Rea
The morning started out with great news, making today’s tours with Orca, Humpback, Minke, and Puffin a great day.
Just as I was preparing to leave the dock, Orca was reported at the entrance to the harbor. I left the dock and idled my way over to the T46s. I had been with this pod yesterday up in the Strait of Georgia.
We viewed them as they made their way down Brown Island, along the shoreline to Turn Island, but the breakfast show I was hoping for at Seal Rocks it didn’t happen.
They entered Griffin Bay along the shoreline and then altered course to the south. They did find something to snack on, not sure if it was a seal or a porpoise. After their morning meal, we left to see other life.
I reached for a humpback on the way down to see some Tufted Puffins. Same on the way back but no Humpback on the morning tour. On the afternoon tour however, a humpback was right at the harbor going down Brown Island just like the Orca did in the morning. We were already down in the Strait watching the T46s in some choppy water conditions as they made their way southwest. After a while, we made our way back to San Juan Channel and viewed
the Humpback for a bit. This one is known as Yogi. Each Humpback Whale is identified by the markings on its tail fluke.
One last surprise for the day was a Minke Whale feeding in the back eddies and popping up in random places.
Ken Rea, owner and operator of the Spirit of Orca, is also the tour guide, photographer and naturalist on his Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours in the Salish Sea, San Juan Island, Washington.
To learn more about Captain Ken, visit https://spiritoforca.com
