Today M/V Sea Hawk had two trips and were lucky enough to see residents and transient orcas! On our 11AM departure, Captain Nancy took our guests and myself along the westside of the island where we ran into our resident orcas just before Lime Kiln State Park. There were two separate groups of orcas that were moving slowly and appeared to be resting.
When orcas rest, they actually shut off half of their brain. Since orcas need to come to the surface to breath, they need to be half conscious in order to do so. By half their brain still working they are able to keep moving as well. They also form these large groups as they rest, and it is believed to be a protection measure. Guests were able to notice when they "woke up" because some started breaching and splashing.
On our way back to the harbor, we also stopped to see transient orcas. It is not always common to have transients so close to residents. This group of transients were located in a kelp forest and that is a perfect location for them to hunt seals. This group had a three year old calf and it appeared to be in a playful mood. We saw its' tail quite a few times, along with a little spy hop! Guests on both trips were very excited to be able to say they saw two different ecotypes of orcas today!
Aimee
Naturalist, M/V Sea Hawk