It’s time for our annual sightings summary! 2020 certainly unfolded differently than we could have ever anticipated. Temporary closures and restrictions related to COVID-19 meant that we were able to offer just a fraction of the tours we normally provide in a season. That said, the limitations made us even more grateful for the opportunities we did have to share Salish Sea wildlife with our guests. Bigg’s killer whales continue to thrive in the region and were the type of whale we were most likely to encounter on our tours. Humpback whales were a close second and also had a fantastic year, with the local population welcoming a record eleven confirmed calves in 2020. Minke whales climbed up in the ranks to take the bronze. Southern Resident killer whales had a hopeful year with two new calves born in September, and despite almost all of our annual spring gray whale season from Everett being cancelled, a few lingering stragglers allowed some lucky tours to still see gray whales in the summer. As we shift our focus to 2021, we must give one more thank you to our valued followers for your continued support of our small, family-owned business. We know that it was a difficult year for everyone, and we hope that our tours and daily whale reports offered a much-needed escape during these trying times. We wish you nothing but health and happiness in 2021! – The Island Adventures Family

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December “Whale of the Month”: This month’s whale is one of the up-and-coming teenagers in the Southern Resident killer whale population, J42 “Echo”. Echo was born sometime between April 28 and May 2, 2007. She is the daughter of J16 “Slick” (est. 1972) and sister to J26 “Mike” (1991) and J36 “Alki” (1999). She has endured much hardship in her young life, including the loss of her sister J50 “Scarlet” (2014), nephew J52 “Sonic” (2015), and potential loss of a pregnancy of her own, as she was reported to be pregnant in late 2019 but appears not to be any longer. Despite this, she continues to be known for her energetic and curious spirit, which has made her a favorite among whale lovers. Echo has one of the most easily identifiable saddle patches in J Pod. She can often be seen playing in the kelp or breaching up a storm. While we aren’t on the water this December, J Pod has been seen recently in Puget Sound, so if you live in the area, keep your eyes peeled for a look at this strong girl and the rest of her pod!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/36DE1ss

December “Whale of the Month”: This month’s whale is one of the up-and-coming teenagers in the Southern Resident killer whale population, J42 “Echo”. Echo was born sometime between April 28 and May 2, 2007. She is the daughter of J16 “Slick” (est. 1972) and sister to J26 “Mike” (1991) and J36 “Alki” (1999). She has endured much hardship in her young life, including the loss of her sister J50 “Scarlet” (2014), nephew J52 “Sonic” (2015), and potential loss of a pregnancy of her own, as she was reported to be pregnant in late 2019 but appears not to be any longer. Despite this, she continues to be known for her energetic and curious spirit, which has made her a favorite among whale lovers. Echo has one of the most easily identifiable saddle patches in J Pod. She can often be seen playing in the kelp or breaching up a storm. While we aren’t on the water this December, J Pod has been seen recently in Puget Sound, so if you live in the area, keep your eyes peeled for a look at this strong girl and the rest of her pod!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/3qmrTUx

December “Whale of the Month”: This month’s whale is one of the up-and-coming teenagers in the Southern Resident killer whale population, J42 “Echo”. Echo was born sometime between April 28 and May 2, 2007. She is the daughter of J16 “Slick” (est. 1972) and sister to J26 “Mike” (1991) and J36 “Alki” (1999). She has endured much hardship in her young life, including the loss of her sister J50 “Scarlet” (2014), nephew J52 “Sonic” (2015), and potential loss of a pregnancy of her own, as she was reported to be pregnant in late 2019 but appears not to be any longer. Despite this, she continues to be known for her energetic and curious spirit, which has made her a favorite among whale lovers. Echo has one of the most easily identifiable saddle patches in J Pod. She can often be seen playing in the kelp or breaching up a storm. While we aren’t on the water this December, J Pod has been seen recently in Puget Sound, so if you live in the area, keep your eyes peeled for a look at this strong girl and the rest of her pod!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/39Fhsp9

December “Whale of the Month”: This month’s whale is one of the up-and-coming teenagers in the Southern Resident killer whale population, J42 “Echo”. Echo was born sometime between April 28 and May 2, 2007. She is the daughter of J16 “Slick” (est. 1972) and sister to J26 “Mike” (1991) and J36 “Alki” (1999). She has endured much hardship in her young life, including the loss of her sister J50 “Scarlet” (2014), nephew J52 “Sonic” (2015), and potential loss of a pregnancy of her own, as she was reported to be pregnant in late 2019 but appears not to be any longer. Despite this, she continues to be known for her energetic and curious spirit, which has made her a favorite among whale lovers. Echo has one of the most easily identifiable saddle patches in J Pod. She can often be seen playing in the kelp or breaching up a storm. While we aren’t on the water this December, J Pod has been seen recently in Puget Sound, so if you live in the area, keep your eyes peeled for a look at this strong girl and the rest of her pod!

via Island Adventures Whale Watching https://ift.tt/2JpFKsA