If I Were Going...: San Juan islands: Whale Watches

What we were looking for

While in Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands, we went on three trips with Maya’s Legacy Whale Watches, a local company that specializes in small-boat tours.

The boats are small so you can get close

The company is the “descendent” of Jim Maya’s whale-watching business. Scott and I and Caty went out with Jim on separate trips in 2012 and we really liked the friendly, casual and intimate nature of these trips. Maya’s Legacy was created when Jim sold his business; we hear he sometimes still leads some of the company’s tours.

Maya's is convenient; it sails right from Friday Harbor

Prior to the trip, we were told there would be two COVID-related changes. First, we had to wear masks the whole trip. That turned out to be fine, except for some occasional glasses fogging. Second, our boat had to stay in U.S. waters and could not even cross the Canadian border. Normally, they can follow Orcas between the two countries.

The trips can cover quite a bit of distance, depending on where the Orcas are

Oh no!

Whale Watch #1

Our first whale watch was an evening tour the day we arrived.

Remember, this was summer very far north. It doesn't get dark until after 10:00 p.m.

A great trip, but we didn’t see any Orcas!

Was the Caty curse going to continue?

Whatever ...

It was a lovely cruise where we saw several Bald Eagles, including a nest occupied by an Eaglet and guarded by one of the parents …

The San Juans have at least 125 pairs of nesting Bald Eagles

… a very regal Juvenile Bald Eagle …

Eagles are everywhere in the San Juan Islands

... and another adult that flew to a tree ...

Bald Eagle in flight

... and treated us to song (if you can call an Eagle’s screams a song) …

Vocalizing for us

We saw Steller Sea Lions, starting with a group posing on a buoy. It’s a bit of a cliched look, but this is how you often see Sea Lions.

Just chillin'

And, in this case, the late afternoon light was spectacular …

Showing us his best side and his heart-shaped scar

… for the Glaucous-winged Gull, too ...

Each buoy gets a gull finial

Later, we saw some flocks Rhinoceros Auklets and I got one quick shot of one on the water with a mouth full of fish before it dove for more fish.

Iconic Auklet looks: flying and fishing

Our guide said that they fish in the late afternoon and earlier evening so our next best opportunity to get a photo with a mouth full of fish would be the next evening when we had another whale watch scheduled.

We saw Black Oystercatchers …

One of three types of Oystercatcher I have seen: Black, American and Eurasian

We saw lots of Black Guillemots …

We came across quite a few of these lovely birds

… with their adorable red feet …

They also have bright red inside their mouths, but I never saw one open its mouth

In fact, it was these birds that won the day …

It was sunset; I like this dark look

They are very photogenic …

Photogenic, but sometimes a bit goofy

… and I got lots …

They have to "walk" across the water to lift off

… and lots …

Finally airborne

... and lots ...

This kind of fishing is called "dabbling"

… of good shots …

The lovely Black Guillemot

Late in the trip, when it had become evident that Orcas just weren’t going to show, we saw a group of Harbor Seals, hauled out on a rock, enjoying the surf …

Hidden away in a dark cove

… surrounded by some in the water …

Harbor Seals are found north of the equator in both the Atlantic and Pacific

... and a few more that looked as though they were levitating ...

A roly-poly little guy

... they lifted their tails and appeared to smile every time a wave crashed on them …

They favor coastal waters, rocky islands, sandy beaches, mudflats, bays and estuaries

The way they were posed, they reminded me of the tableau that ballerinas form ...

Look at those faces!

Out on the water, we had lovely views of the Patos Island Lighthouse, both as we were heading out …

A cute little lighthouse

… and coming back …

A spectacular backdrop

And, in the far distance we could see 10,778-foot-tall Mount Baker on the mainland (and before you think that’s not so tall compared to our 14ers, remember that that almost 11,000 feet is rising from sea level) …

You are seeing more mountain than 14ers in Colorado

It was a beautiful evening with some spectacular wildlife. But, no Orcas.

We were concerned, but decided to keep a positive attitude. Tomorrow was another day!

Another day for Caty with no Orcas

Whale Watch #2

Early the next morning, we were at Maya’s waiting for our half-day whale watching trip. Sure, we hadn’t seen any the night before, but we were confident.

Photo: Maya's Legacy

The boat is a small one with covered seats in the middle, an open back deck and a small amount of seating a viewing area on the bow.

There were windows in the covered area, which the crew would flip open if we were stopped to view something.

The first night, Caty and I had spent almost all the trip on the back deck. I do not like to be inside, ever, even if the windows can be opened.

Sara, our naturalist

This time, Caty and I decided to sit on the bow, which afforded better 180+ degree visibility. From the night before, we knew that the ride should be fairly smooth.

The first night, we had headed north. This time, we were moving south. As we approached a nice view of a lighthouse, I assumed that the captain would turn toward the lighthouse to give us good photo ops.

But, he didn’t. He sped up and passed the lighthouse. It was a somewhat harrowing ride with back-jarring slams into swells as we held on for dear life. He must have gotten a radio report of Orcas.

And, indeed he had. We saw them at a distance, in the midst of some pretty spectacular activity …

This looked promising

Then, we moved closer among other whale watching boats – some from the San Juans, some from Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula and one other Maya’s boat (it was an all-day tour that was sold out when we tried to book).

Everyone got a great view

As we approached, one breached right in front of us. It happened so quickly, practically no one got the shot. But, Scott did.

Orca breach; Photo: Scott Stevens

What transpired after that was a jumble of activity. I am not posting these photos in any particular order; that would be just too difficult to recall.

Orca tail

There were at least six, probably seven Orcas. And, they were active.

It's hard to count, but there are at least six in this photo

There was lots of tail-slapping …

No one knows why they do this; probably trying to attract the boys

Sometimes solo …

Twisting and slapping

Sometimes in tandem …

A male and a female

There was one really nice roll-over …

A nice view of the underside of an Orca

We saw several breaches and some semi-spy-hopping. I managed to get only these two blurry photos of that activity ...

My worst best photos

Caty did better ...

Orca breach; Photo: Caty Stevens

And, I even told Caty to expect breaches after a deep dive and I missed it! She got it, though.

Coming out of the water; Photo: Caty Stevens

I had to pull back on my 600mm lens because it was so hard to keep the fairly close whale in my focal area.

They were close and very active

The Orcas included a number of females, identifiable by relatively small dorsal fins ..

The female's dorsal fin is small and hooked; there are three in this photo

… and two males, obvious because of their tall dorsal fins …

The male's dorsal fin can be 6 feet tall

But, the naturalist knew more about the two guys than just their sex. Orcas can be positively identified – and thus, tracked – by markings on their saddlepatch (the white area over the back), eyepatch, tails and fins and by scars.

Each Orca is unique

Ted's mark

Each known whale is given a number to help tracking. These were brothers from Alaska, who traveled together, frequently coming to the San Juans for a variety of excellent adventures. T128, born in 1988, was affectionately known as “Bill” and his baby brother, T125A, was born in 1998 and is known as “Ted.”

Ted is very distinctive, with a huge dorsal fin that has a sizeable chunk -- perhaps a bite -- out of it.

It was such a fun time, watching this group cavort.

A female tail-slapping before a dive

Success for Caty. The Orca curse is over.

Ted approves!

With all the whale watching, we didn’t have time for much of anything else. But, we did see some equally rambunctious sea lions. They were barking…

Sea Lions have larger-than-life personalities

... rough housing ...

These were play-fighting, so there was no real damage

... and splashing ...

Into the water after the tussle

Plus, some were just watching us from a small rock island …

Minutes later, the lower one dove in

We also saw a Double-crested Cormorant rookery …

This was mainly Double-crested with a few Pelagics mixed in

A Bald Eagle keeping watch on a channel marker near the harbor ...

Guarding the harbor

And, oh, the scenery …

A view of Mount Baker enhanced by an Orca

Whale Watch #3

A brief break and we were off again, for our final whale watch – a repeat of the evening tour we had done the night before. And, unlike our morning trip, we headed north because there had been some reports of Orca activity in that direction.

All the captains talk to each other about where the Orcas are

Sure enough we found two Orcas.

Success again!

It was Bill and Ted again! Thirty-five miles north of where we had seen them just hours earlier!

There's that missing chunk again

That illustrates how quickly these animals can swim!

T128 and T125A from Alaska

These boys do like their adventures …

The ferry passes behind the boys

Whoa!

Bill taking a breath

This time there were no ladies. That may have been why Bill and Ted were much more subdued, just generally swimming about.

Ted and Bill side-by-side

And, while they were not as entertaining, they were much, much closer.

I could even look him in the eye

I had to switch to my wide-angle lens for some of the shots.

Surfacing right by the boat

It very exciting for Caty, who finally got to see her Orcas …

Caty photographing Ted

After a great show, we had to head back, stopping briefly for views of Cattle Point Lighthouse, which is on San Juan Island ...

Cattle Point Lighthouse

… and to spend some time with Harlequin Ducks (tricky to photograph and even harder to see because it was almost full dark) …

Female Harlequin Duck

We saw Steller Sea Lions on an area called Whale Rocks …

Watching us as we watched them

... a hauled out group of Harbor Seals ...

Catching the last rays of the day

... a Bald Eagle ...

Is he judging us? I think he is judging us

… and a final treat, which I had asked the captain to find after my one poor shot of the first whale watch: a Rhinoceros Auklet with a mouth full of fish …

Such a cool shot

They are called “Rhinoceros” because during breeding season they have a short spike at the base of their bills.

You can see the spike here

It was a lovely evening.

A Sea Lion enjoying a beautiful summer evening

Another success!

San Juans, I love you!

A good day

About Orcas

I have blogged about Orcas before, but here are some facts (edited for length) from Oceana, a charitable group that protects the world’s sea life:

Orcas get their nickname "Killer Whales" from their reputation of being ferocious predators.

San Juan Islands, 2021; Photo: Caty Stevens

They are actually very large dolphins, reaching lengths of 33 feet and weights of at least 22,000 pounds.

San Juan Islands, 2021

Thought to be some of the smartest animals on the planet, they are extremely curious and often approach people to investigate.

San Juan Islands, 2012

They generally live in small groups and organize complex group behaviors when mating and hunting.

Alaska, 2018

Orcas are the most widely distributed cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises) and can be found in every ocean.

San Juan Islands, 2021

Male orcas live up to 60 years, while females live much longer, up to 100.

San Juan Islands, 2021

Juveniles can swim from the moment they are born, but they are totally dependent on nursing their mothers' milk for one to two years.

Alaska, 2018

Pods usually range from three to 20 members.

Alaska, 2008

Orcas pass down specific communication and hunting skills to younger members, distinguishing one pod's culture from another.

Alaska, 2018

Although all Orcas, worldwide, are considered to be members of the same species, recent research suggests, based on appearance, habitat and diet, there may be as many as 16 different species.

Alaska, 2018

Orcas have never been known to attack humans in the wild, but captive Orcas have killed several trainers, most likely from the stress of being confined in small, inadequate spaces.

San Juan Islands, 2021

In the U.S. and some other places, Orcas are given complete legal protection.

San Juan Islands, 2021

Many Orcas live in the San Juans year-round and some migrate to the from Alaska, including Bill and Ted.

San Juan Islands, 2021

Orcas tend to “arrange” themselves by their diet, seldom, if ever, changing what the eat.

Alaska, 2018

There used to be a fair number of Orcas in the Northwest that ate exclusively salmon, but, with a precipitous decline in salmon, these pods have all but disappeared. Now, most of the Orcas eat Sea Lions and Seals. Those pods are doing quite well.

San Juan Islands, 2021

In the past, Orcas have been defined as “resident” or “transient,” but those labels aren’t entirely accurate because some “resident” Orcas move about and some “transients” stay put. I’m going to let the naturalists clarify their designations before I even try to define Orcas.