This was an incredible experience, and we feel extremely lucky to have been able to see the residents on their brief return to the San Juans on 15 August, after having been last seen on 5 July. After kayaking for 3 days we were a bit disappointed that we hadn't seen any whales., and reading the blog from San Juan safaris, we knew there were one or two transients around, but to see them we had to do a 'proper' whale cruise.
We chose San Juan safaris because we had been reading their blog, and they seemed knowledgeable and helpful. They were. Olivia our guide, and Gabe our captain, were funny, enthusiastic and obviously love not only their job but the wildlife of the region.
We were lucky that the residents had cruised back in to town over night and Gabe took us to them, after a going north around the island (in what I suspect was a delay tactic to let the fog lift a bit so we could see more!). We got to the whales and soon saw them emerging from the fog (which coincidentally lifted 5 minutes after our arrival) and we interacted with this amazing, gorgeous whales for 20-30 minutes, always respectfully.
Olivia was full of great information and so enthusiastic, she was obviously just as much in awe as we were.
It was an amazing trip, one I will never forget, and this company was super professional and awesome!
Відповідь від хоста
Sep 2019
Hi _susie_Oz,
Thank you so much for your kind review of your experience whale watching with us. We are so happy that we were able to share Southern Resident killer whales with you.
This summer has been a record summer for Southern Resident killer whales in our waters, but not in a good way. Since research began in the 1970s, this was the record low of sightings of J, K & L pods here in the inland waters of the Salish Sea. On the flip side, this has been the record high year for viewing seeing Bigg's (or transient) orcas! Our tours have seen these amazing predators almost every day. Routinely there are at least 15-25 of these marine mammal eaters reported in the inland waters each day... on some days this summer there have been over 60 Bigg's killer whales reported around the islands!
With this change in ecotype sighting, we have also seen a change in the way people have been viewing orcas. While historically it has been uncommon to see orcas while kayaking here in the San Juan Islands (it happened, but definitely was never the expectation of any guide on the water), this summer encounters with orcas on kayaks has proved to be incredibly rare... so we are so happy that you decided to come try your hand at viewing them via motor vessel!
We love sharing the stories of these critically endangered animals, and that you felt as though you got to learn something about them from Olivia. We love employing professional, passionate people to lead our tours and I am so glad you enjoyed your time on the water with your crew.
Come back and see us again, thank you again for your kind review!
Brian Goodremont and the crew at San Juan Safaris
Owner/Operator