Welcome the Whales Day!

Gray whale breach, Saratoga Passage (North Bluff in background) - photo by Tom Colegrove (c) Tom Colegrove

Saratoga Grays

Langley in April: Welcome the Whales Day Sat. April 24, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Highlights of the day will include the community potluck at noon in the old firehouse, parade at 1:30 p.m., whale bell dedication after the parade, water welcome following the bell dedication and all-day whale workshops in the United Methodist Church.

A small group of resident Gray whales typically arrives to our region in early March and stays through the end of May or early June, feeding on ghost shrimp along the sand and mud shores of Saratoga Passage and South Whidbey. This annual spring visit of Gray whales provides an excellent opportunity to view whales from the shorelines of Island county or from the Mukilteo/Clinton ferries, much to the delight of residents and visitors alike.

(c) Alspektor Langley whale bell rings when whales are close to shore..

Langley was added to the Whale Trail program when founder, Donna Sandstrom, found out about the whale bell in Langley recently installed to ring when whales can be seen offshore. At a ceremony in April of 2010, Langley Mayor Paul Samuelson proudly proclaimed Langley an official Whale Trail City!

Whale Trail Brochure - 1.3MB Whale Trail 2009 brochure

Whale Trail Website

The whales often feed close to shore by turning on their sides and sucking up huge mouthfuls of sand filled with ghost shrimp, then straining it out through their baleen plates, swallowing the invertebrates and pushing mud and water back out, leaving plumes of mud trailing through the water. Their pectoral fins and fluke tips can often be seen above the surface of the water while they are feeding, and from a bluff top, you can get a great view of the entire whale as it feeds in the shallow intertidal area. Gray whale spouts can also often be seen while they are traveling or feeding in deeper waters, and their flukes are exposed whenever they take a deep dive.

Watch the arrival of the Gray Whales from the shores of Langley on Whidbey Island!

Mystic Sea Charters - Whale Watch Cruises...
The 100' Mystic Sea offers cruises though the San Juan Islands including whale watching, weddings, corporate events, parties and more.
Gray Whale

Grey Whale Season: April 2 - May 14, Friday - Sunday, Board 10 AM, Depart 10:30, Return 3-4 PM
Check-In Location: Channel Lodge Dock
205 N. First Street
LaConner, WA 98257

Orca Whale Season: May 15 - October 3, 7 days a week, Board 10:30 AM, Depart 11:00, Return 4-5 PM
Check-In Location: Cap Sante Marina, Dock A
710 Seafarers Way,
Anacortes, WA, 98221

Monte and Cindy Hughes (360) 588-8000 Phone: 1.800.308.9387 EmailWebsite

Cascadia Research of Olympia has been studying this population of Puget Sound Gray whales for decades, and has photo identified a group of approximately ten whales that visit this area each spring. The whales are identified by the markings on the underside of their flukes, as well as by the patterns of barnacles, scars, and markings on their backs. One whale, Patch, or #49, was first identified by Cascadia in our local waters in 1991 and is a favorite of many local whale watchers, as he is easily identifiable by the large white patch on his right side, back toward his flukes. Click for information on Cascadia's photo ID studies of the Gray whales, as well as their Field Identification Guide which has excellent photos to help you identify the Gray whales you are watching in Puget Sound. According to John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research, there are five to six "regulars" that show up each year to feed during these three months each spring, along with a variable number of animals that are not regulars. In greater Puget Sound, we see approximately 12 to 50 grays per year, and along the Pacific Coast is a population of 250 Gray Whales known as the Pacific Northwest feeding aggregation (or seasonal residents). These whales can be found along the coast of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Gray whale pectoral fin photo was taken in Langley, just north of the harbor. (c) John Herman and Minette Layne

To learn more about Gray whales, visit Orca Network's Gray Whale website page and the Cascadia Research website

And attend our annual Welcome the Whales Day event and parade in Langley in April to learn about these springtime visitors, and have a fun time celebrating their return more info.

Gray Whale Watching In Saratoga Passage

Gray Whale Watching In Saratoga Passage Join WSU Island County Beach Watchers on a Whale-Watching Cruise leaving from Coupeville Wharf, Saturday, April 10th, 11 am-3 pm. This is the only gray whale watch trip from Coupeville in 2010. To reserve space, call 360-331-1030 or email (wsu.bw.island@gmail.com) as soon as possible.

$75 per person includes a four-hour cruise, lunch, beverages and on-board naturalists This is a fundraiser for WSU Island County Beach Watchers.
http://www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/island/

Planning a vacation to see the whales?

As you can imagine, "scheduling" whales can be difficult, but we can give you some general guidelines about when to see what kinds of whales off Whidbey Island!

The most reliable sightings are gray whales from the end of Feb. through the end of May or into early June, & the best place to see them from is Langley, or from most beaches off S. Whidbey, & sometimes further north in Saratoga Passage. We have already had several gray whale sightings this year, a bit earlier than usual!

For orcas, we typically say Oct. - Dec., but we just had a pod of orcas off W. Whidbey the past two days! They are much harder to predict, as they travel back & forth between lower Puget Sound, Whidbey Island, the San Juans, BC Canadian Islands, & the outer coast (even down to California!).

Orca Network offers a free Whale Sighting Network where we send out emails with locations of whales in the area, & we also post them on our Website sightings page. You can find the sightings (& a link to join the whale sighting network) on our website at www.orcanetwork.org - hope this helps!
susan berta, Orca Network

Orca Network - Connecting whales and people in the Pacific Northwest
Orca Network is dedicated to raising awareness about the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of providing them healthy and safe habitats.

Projects include the Whale Sighting Network and Education Programs, the Free Lolita Campaign, and the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

Orca Network's Whale Sighting Network tracks the travels of Gray whales, orcas and other cetaceans in Washington and British Columbia waters. If you see a whale, please report it to Orca Network at 1-866-ORCANET or info@orcanetwork.org. If you would like to be on Orca Network's Whale Sighting Network to receive emails about the whereabouts of the whales of our regions, contact Susan Berta or sign up on our website below.

Susan Berta & Howard Garrett
Orca Network
Email
orcanetwork website
1-866-ORCANET

Click here for an online downloadable map of boat launches and marinas:

Island County Boat Launches & Marinas - 7.1MB Large map of Whidbey & Camano Islands boat launches, marinas & trails.

The Port of South Whidbey has taken over the marina located in the City of Langley on South Whidbey Island. The Saratoga Passage location make a great stop for boats seeking protected passage between Central and South Puget Sound and North Puget Sound (Oak Harbor, La Conner, Anacortes, Bellingham and the San Juan Islands). The City of Langley offers galleries, antiques, boutiques, restraints, gourmet chocolate and a specialty florist shop. During the evening the local movie house offers current movies at only $6 for Adults!

For moorage information contact the Harbormaster (VHF 66A) Office contact Tel: (360) 221-1120 or email: Harbormaster - Marina offers transient moorage, electric, water, showers, lauch ramp and pump out.

Seeking tidal charts? Simply select a location listed under Possession Sound. Saratoga Strait, or Rosario Strait and the month you are interested in visiting. Learn more.

• Langley's municipal marina Book your mooring reservation NOW for the Island County Fair – August 19-22th. Join us for the 86th Island County Fair in 2010! Just a short walk from the marina, fun for the whole family.
  Come enjoy the community celebration of Whidbey Island's rich arts heritage for the Choochokam Arts Festival, July 10-11, 2010. The picturesque streets of downtown Langley are lined with artists. The air is filled with the sounds from three separate stages, each with its own flavor.
  
• To make reservations for the Langley Marina:
  Email: Harbormaster@portofsouthwhidbey.com or call 360-221-1120 or 425-387-4950 with date of arrival, length of stay, Boat name, LOA, Beam and Draft. Include contact your information. or Contact the Harbormaster at 360 221-1120 always has plenty of moorage for visitors.
• In Coupeville, you can access the town from the dock all day, and anchoring in Penn Cove overnight will offer a truly serene sleep. For more information regarding moorage at Coupeville wharf call (360) 678-5020.
• Oak Harbor's marina has visitor moorage, gas and charters. At Cornet Bay, located on the north end of Whidbey Island, you'll enjoy breathtaking views and gas and goods are available. http://www.whidbey.com/ohmarina/ or call (360) 679-BOAT or (360) 679-2628.
• Camano Island State Park has a floating dock for landing.Camano Island State Park
  2269 S. Lowell Point Rd.
  Camano Island, WA 98282 - (360) 387-3031
  Latitude 48D 7' 39.37" N (48.1276)
  Longitude 122D 29' 57.12" W (-122.4992)
  Body of Water Puget Sound
  Hours Summer: 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  Winter: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  The park is open year-round for camping and day-use.
  
• Camano Island Yacht Club
  Clubhouse Telephone: (360) 387-3737
  Email: camanoislandyachtclub.com
  Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1041, Stanwood, WA 98282
  Club Location: 129 North Sunset Drive, Camano Island, WA 98282

• Adventures in Boating Washington: This handbook is published by Boat Ed, the provider of Washington's boating safety course. Although this handbook is a convenient reference tool, students wanting to receive official Washington boating safety certification would benefit from studying Boat Ed's comprehensive boat safety course. All boating safety course material has been developed in conjunction with Washington Parks & Recreation, and is the same material used in their classroom courses. Take the Washington boating safety course.

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Whidbey and Camano Islands are only 25 miles north of Seattle, and 2 hours south of Vancouver. See Directions and Maps to learn more about how to get here.