Minke Whale near Pear Pt and Southern Resident J Pod Orcas

September 27, 2022 – After leaving Friday Harbor we sailed through the pass behind Turn Island. Our passenger spotted a minke just beyond the rocks where harbor seals were resting. We had some spectacular views as the minke would surface about 4 times before going on a longer dive four about 5 minutes. We could hear the whales’ exhale as we drifted in the area as it swam all around us. We were having the best time but thought we should continue our trip to look for more wildlife. We sailed down the channel and checked out the wildlife on Goose Island… a great blue heron stood on the kelp bed, a line of harbor seals slept on the beach, and cormorants and gulls hung out by their nesting sites. Sailing across Cattle Pass we went by Deadman Island spotting more harbor seals resting and what looked like a Northern flicker in a nearby tree. A bald eagle was standing on Whale Rocks near the Steller sea lions. We thought it would be fun to cruise the South Lopez coast to see some beautiful scenery to Castle Rock and back. On our return we crossed Salmon Bank looking for more minkes and scanned to the north because Southern Resident orcas from J pod had been eastbound from Discovery Island. In the distance we started seeing fins and blows as they neared San Juan towards False Bay. We got some distant looks at J26 and his mom and sister before making our way back to Friday Harbor. A bald eagle landed on Cattle Pt Lighthouse as we sailed by and the sun went behind the island giving way to a pretty sunset.

Note: Photos of Southern Resident orcas are heavily cropped to show details. We viewed over half a mile per Federal and State Regulations.