San Juan Islands

The San Juan Islands are world-renowned for orca research and whale watching and there are two different types of orcas: Salmon-eating and Mammal-eating orca whales. The Salmon-eating Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) primarily feed on a diet that is more than 85% Chinook-species salmon. They travel with their matriarchal family groups their entire lives, and demonstrate complex social behaviors. In addition to SRKW, the Mammal-eating “transient” or “Biggs” orca whales are a booming population in the Salish Sea and can be spotted frequently, along with a growing population of humpback whales.

Passengers can scan the shorelines for eagles perched in trees, harbor seals and Steller’s sea lions, and look for murres, auklets, guillemots and cormorants fishing in open water. Porpoises and minke whales are frequently seen here, and humpbacks are becoming a more common visitor to the Salish Sea as their population increases.