Orca Whales

Yesterday (Sunday), was another beautiful day out on the water in the San Juan Islands. It’s still summer here, hot and sunny, but there are signs of fall starting in the more northerly regions of the planet. Different birds species that breed and nest in the arctic regions are returning here in preparation for winter. Most notably (maybe just my favorites) are the phalaropes. These groups of birds are a little smaller than doves and hang around drifting mats of logs and...

Here in the San Juan Islands we are constantly surrounded by beautiful marine wildlife. Our waters are home to a wide diversity of marine mammals including four species of whales, two species of dolphins, two species of porpoises, two species of seals, two species of sea lions, and we also have the possibility of seeing two species of otters! With such a great array of species, we sometimes come across injured or dead wildlife on our tours or while wandering the islands...

The past few weeks things have been very busy here. Part of the Southern Residents have been in our waters for a few weeks foraging. The annual conference of orca fans, enthusiasts, and researchers called SuperPod has been in town, and the weather has finally started to feel like summer. Yesterday (Wednesday) Captain Gabe and I went south with a great group south along the west side of San Juan Island. It is called the Haro Strait and this deep trench leading northward is...

Guests were skeptical as we pulled out of Roche Harbor due to the lack of whale reports; however, Roche Harbor had lots of boat traffic and is relatively tucked away from the radio signal. Therefore, once we pulled out and received whale reports right off of Lopez Island’s ferry dock, I was not surprised but also very relieved. We made our way to the transient killer whale siting and once on scene were able to spend a full hour enjoying traveling with the whales. Because...

We left the dock with high hopes of finding resident killer whales based on positive reports received earlier in the morning. However, as we travelled towards the reports our dedicated whale watching guests spotted two male transient killer whales off of the coast of Spieden Island on route! Guests were able to enjoy watching these exceptionally large males with their 6ft tall dorsal fins and approximate 12000lb bodies for over half an hour. After that we decided to...

We started our trip out today with reports of transient killer whales just off the coast of Victoria. Feeling determined and adventurous, we started out south, hoping to spot them as they moved away from Discovery Island. We braved a particularly choppy voyage down Haro Strait before breaking through to glass-calm seas at the junction of Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

As soon as we had spotted some distant dorsal fins cutting through the water, a juvenile...

On this beautiful Wednesday the Sea Hawk headed north towards Haro Straight in pursuit of the T-124’s. We quickly arrived on scene, and were able to spend a full hour travelling with the killer whales.  We witnessed what appeared to the young pod hunting and then potentially engaging in some playful behavior. We interpreted hunting behavior originally when the orcas were moving cryptically through the water and making movements with purpose. Once they finished hunting...

Yesterday we had yet another amazing day of encounters with some of the magnificent cetaceans that call the Salish Sea home. Captain Mike and I headed out on a bit of a grey afternoon in search of adventure and whales, of course. We had a lovely group of guests on board, and even a few birthdays!

We steered the mighty M/V Sea Lion north towards the Canadian Gulf Islands where we found J Pod, part of our Southern Resident Killer Whale population, traveling south through...

Yesterday did not seem as though its was going have such a magical outcome. We left the dock with no good report of orcas. Then, thirty minutes off the dock, Captain Mike pulled me into the wheelhouse to pass along the news: Orcas, and lots of them! I hurriedly passed the news along to guests as we cruised under sunny San Juan skies watching gulls and harbor porpoise flit past.

We continued North around East Point on Saturna Island in British Columbia and stopped to...

Individual orcas can be distinguished from one another by looking at preexisting  markings on their bodies. Though whales can be told apart by the markings on their cheeks or their eypatches, we primarily look at the saddlepatch, the grey marking behind the dorsal fin. Once those markings are recorded via photograph, alphanumeric (Letter-Number) codes are assigned to individuals. We have two populations of orcas in our waters, Residents, salmon-eaters, and Transients...