Capt. Gabe and I headed out of Roche Harbor with a beautiful, sunny day and slightly cooler temperatures than this hot, hot weekend. The reports of orcas were coming from way up in Canadian waters near Vancouver, so we sailed north to see if we could rendezvous with our friends north across the border. On the way there we stopped and said hello to almost 80 Harbor Seals hauled out on rocks near Spieden Island! I don't think I've ever seen so many Harbor Seals in one place before, and they were still trying to slug their way around despite the crowd they were in (kind of how I would imagine Jabba the Hutt to maneuver). This was made extra cute due to the fact that we're in the middle of pupping season! So there is a plethora of the cutest seal pups that I've ever seen! After watching these guys for awhile we continued northward and soon met J pod just around East Point on Saturna Island. Boy, they must have been trucking to get almost to the edge of Canadian waters by the time we arrived. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, orcas can swim up to 30 knots (~35 mph for those that are more terrestrially inclined) but I guess you have to experience it to believe it. We soon figured out this might be the J-22 matriline (aka the Cookie Clan) with J-22, Oreo, and her two sons J-34, Doublestuff, and J-38, Cookie...yum. Now if you were worried that this pod was as hungry as I am now, don't be. They were hunting some Chinook Salmon and I just ate some cookies. Not only was this family moving fast they were having fun while doing it! As we turned around and paralleled them, some of the adults spyhopped to get a good look at the surface and some of the younger ones swam upside down and breached completely out of the water! Woah is right. It was amazing to watch them swim in such a tight group and suddenly have one breach completely off to the side! Then, even more amazingly that same orca would be right back with the group the next time they surfaced to breathe! Tires me out just thinking about it. After bidding adieu to this lovely group of our Southern Resident Killer Whale stars we sailed back south to Roche Harbor with the sun on our faces and even bigger smiles than the ones we left with.
Whale folks, until next time, stay classy.
Naturalist Erick
M/V Seahawk, San Juan Outfitters