transient killer whales

Leaving Friday Harbor with reports of both Transient Killer Whales and Humpback Whales is always a great way to start a trip. Captain Brian took us North on the Sea Lion and we sped through Speiden Channel aimed for Moresby Island and the rest of the Gulf Islands of Canada. Many people don't realize that we in fact cruise into Canadian waters on a regular basis. Animals don't know our borders.

Starting a trip with Humpbacks is never a bad way to go and we had two to...

Leaving the harbor with a full boat, Captain Mike took us North into San Juan Channel on a beautiful sunny day. We'd had no reports yet, but Naturalist Kevin and I were optimistic for a great day on the water. We weren't disappointed.

We'd cruised around Yellow Island for some looks at the wildflowers and Harbor Seals lazing about and headed up to Flattop Island, when we stopped to check out a Bald Eagle. Seconds after, the bird stooped and crashed hard into the water...

Both resident (fish eating) and transient (mammal eating) killer whales, also known as orca whales, live in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands. The Salish Sea is home to a huge amount of biodiversity, allowing animals large and small to thrive. There is a lot of research being conducted on the whales, and one way scientists gather information is by recording underwater acoustics using hydrophones. This allows data on whales to be collected even when they...

Whales Again!!! On our second Whale Watch tour for the day, Captain Brian, reported seeing our resident K-Pod. There are two types of killer whales seen our waters: Transients and Residents Orca whales. Transients diets consist of marine mammals while the residents are fish eating Orcas.

It was quite a show with lots of spy hopping, a behavior in which the Orca comes straight out of the water with its eyes above the surface before dropping back down.

Another...

Our Captain Brian returned from our 11am Whale Watch out of Roche Harbor with a report an uncommon sighting of Transient whales. They saw the very large male T-102, as well as T-100 and T-90. Transient are the marine mammal eating whales that you see on the Discovery Channel. Although they do frequent the San Juan Islands, their sporadic movements and elusive behavior make them a rare sighting. They were spotted near Halibut Island near Kelp Reef on the...

Captain Brian just reported back from today's whale watch trip this afternoon, and he described it as "one of his Top 3 wildlife encounters- ever!" The boat left Roche Harbor and headed out in search of the transient Orcas that were in the area. Upon arriving they saw harbor porpoises "everywhere" and Brian and Kendall were on the alert and watching the hunting transient whales. Suddenly both transients dived down and disappeared. Everyone was scanning the waters...

Well what a day! Noelle and Captain Nancy headed out for a whale watch tour yesterday with sunny skies ahead. Transients were in the area, and Noelle was pleased to report back great views of some extremely active orcas. "Transient" means these killer whales (orcas) have a large home range and often pass through the Puget Sound. These whales have been spotted as far south as Monterey Bay, CA where they prey on gray whales resuming their long migration north. When...