The whales were at it again in this gloriously sunny day. Captain Pete, guests, and myself, headed out of Mosquito pass in search of the the resident killer whales that had been spotted earlier in the day right off of Lime Kiln Whale Watching Park. The resident, or fish-eating orcas, hadn't moved to much from their earlier position. They appeared to be in a milling position- basically, just a fancy word for chillin. Some were off giving whale hugs, others were searching for their own food underwater. Because of this the whales were fairly spread out along the westside of San Juan Island.
The M/V Seahawk was lucky enough to spend most of it's time with members of J pod. We got an incredible look at none other than the Cookie Clan, or J-22's. I always enjoy watching them, mainly so I can tell people that the giant, 30 ft male orcas name is Double Stuff. Definitely the most manly of the J Pod. In addition to Double Stuff, who could forget about Rhapsody?! She is commonly found along with The Cookie Clan, and is incredible because she seem to favor breaching as a form of expression. I've tried this method a few times myself and I can definitely say it's not nearly as impressive as a 25 ft whale pushing its full body out of the water with just the force of its tail, or caudal peduncle. Yes, you read correctly, caudal peduncle- again, just a fancy word that describes the muscle that connects the whales body to it's fluke. But a pretty awesome word at that.
Guests aboard were ready with their cameras, and a few lucky souls were even able to capture Rhapsody's amazing aerial acts. All in all it was an impressive day, with even more impressive animals. Hope to see some more action on the water tomorrow!
Caitlin, Naturalist, M/V Sea Hawk
San Juan Outfitters