Our Southern Resident killer whales visited the waters on the west side of San Juan Island three times this last week. Now, if only they traveled through the Salish Sea during the day! Each visit happened in the dark between 7pm and midnight. Although we did not see J & K pods in the daylight, we seriously enjoyed their playful chatter on the OrcaSound.net hydrophones. There are two hydrophones located on the west side of San Juan Island. The hydrophone node at Lime Kiln State Park is located just southwest of the Lighthouse in about 7 meters of water. The second hydrophone (named the Orcasound Hydrophone) is located between Snug Harbor and Andrew’s Bay, ~6km N of the Lime Kiln Lighthouse.
Here is a nine minute recording of J and K pod vocalizations on December 30, 2013 that were recorded on the the Orcasound hydrophone.
Brittany Office & Reservations Manager San Juan Outfitters