It’s been an exciting week here on San Juan Island, with orcas and a few humpbacks making appearances off the coast of San Juan! This past Saturday, August 5, visitors to the west side of the island were treated to a rare showing by a humpback whale headed north through Haro Strait. One of our groups of kayakers, who had launched from the San Juan County Park early on Saturday morning for the first day of a two-day whale camp, saw the whale just before noon on Saturday as it came close to shore around Hannah Heights. A little later in the day and a ways north of there, the guests on our Eagles & Orcas day trip saw the same whale breach further offshore around Lime Kiln State Park. One of our guides, Magda Balise, who was leading the two-day tour on Saturday, said that this was the first time she’d seen a humpback out here in her six years of guiding for Outdoor Odysseys.
In other news, our resident orca whales, who had been noticeably absent from the area for number of weeks, returned to the west side of San Juan Island on Monday morning, delighting tourists and islanders alike. The whales, mainly members of J Pod, have been out on the west side for two days now, and are hopefully here to stay. On Monday, the J Pod added a new member to its group: J-49, the as-yet-unchristened baby of Hy’shqa, J-37, and great-great granddaughter of J-2, commonly known as “Granny.” With all of the recent activity in the area, it’s easy for our guests to see why we love the San Juan Islands! Come sea kayaking with us as we start edging into the lovely September shoulder season here in the islands…
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