Many first time visitors to the San Juan Island come to the see the Orca. Fascinating and spectacular they are only a small portion of the marine mammals that call Puget Sound home.
My interest began with the porpoises that rolled by the sailboat as I went from island to island. Usually they were visible in calms seas but I occasinally saw them in weather too. Talking to other boaters and fisherman I got some interesting stories including being told that they were “blackfish” and really were fish – not mammals.
That got me going. I discovered that Dall’s porpoises and harbor porpoises both exist in the area. Being told that what I was seeing was Dall’s – I carried merrily on. I realized that there were other small whales in the area. And then there were the seals.
All fascinating creatures in their own right.
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