What a surprise for our guests to experience the vast array of wildlife here in the Salish Sea, starting right at the walk down the dock to the Odyssey, where we see sea anemones, shrimp, and nudibranchs right on the pilings! An opportunity for the naturalists to weave the story of all these animals, they are here in this unique inland sea for a reason and have made adaptations to survive. Today was just such a day, filled with sightings of marine birds, several bald eagles, harbor seals, and killer whales. By the time we rounded the north end of San Juan Island, our guests had learned about the connections between the nutrient rich waters, fish, marine mammals, and humans. There we saw J-1 & J-2, slowly leading several groups of J’s along with some L’s and K’s, north along the west side of San Juan Island. At Mosquito Pass many of the younger whales breached several times! The orcas showed our guests a bit of their culture and lifelong family ties.

Naturalist, Caroline Armon