Captain Nancy and myself were excited to have our guests aboard M/V Sea Hawk on this bright sunny day, mainly because J-Pod came in over night! It is always exciting when we have our residents return in May because it feels like summer is in full swing! After informing our guests with our plan we headed South towards Lime Kiln Lighthouse. This is were we first encountered the "Cookie Clan".We were fortunate enough to be the only boat with them!
This clan is made up of four Orcas, J-22 (Oreo), J-34 (Doublestuff), J-38 (Cookie), and J-32 (Rhapsody). It is common to see this family group together because once a female has a calf it never leaves its mother. Doublestuff and Cookie are Oreo's two sons. Rhapsody is Oreo's niece, but travels with them because her mother passed away in 1 998. This family is always a crowd favorite due to the names, but I am excited to see Cookie start maturing into an adult male. He is reaching his sprouting years and that is when their dorsal fin starts to develop.
After spending some quality time with the J-22s, M/V Sea Hawk motored around Spieden Island to see Bald Eagles, Harbor Seals, and Mouflon Sheep. Spieden is always fun to visit due to its history and the animals that inhibit the island. Guests came back to Roche Harbor thrilled to see the Orcas and the other wildlife the San Juans have to offer!
Aimee Kaczmarek
Naturalist, M/V Sea Hawk