J Pod in the Strait of Juan de Fuca!
Swimming by for a Visit (Slick- J16)Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
Wait up Mom! (Suttles & Samish)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
Getting Air
Wait up Mom! (Suttles & Samish)Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
Getting Air Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
"Today we found the Orcas of J pod milling a few miles off Iceberg Point! The first whale we spotted was Riptide, a young male. It was incredible to see how much his dorsal fin had changed just in a matter of a few months!! Over a period of a few years his dorsal fin will go from about 2 feet to just over 6 feet tall once he reaches adulthood. We weren't with him long when he suddenly changed directions. It soon became apparent why when he reappeared next to his mom, Samish, and younger sibling Suttles. We enjoyed a great pass by Samish's sub-pod as they began swimming almost in unison along side the Island Explorer 3! It wasn't long before the other members of J pod started to come into sight. One young whale was particularly happy as it began breaching repeatedly- we counted 9 breaches total!! We ended our time with J pod with a visit with Slick (J16) and last years calf J42 as they continued heading south towards the highlighted Olympic Mountains!! It was great seeing that little girl and just how much she had grown since the fall!! Just like our little ones, Orca calves grow up so fast! The journey was far from over though. Our guests enjoyed 30+ hauled-out Harbor Seals at Colville Island, 3 Black Oystercatchers, Bald Eagles, one gigantic Bald Eagle's nest, a feeding California Sea Lion, 4 hauled out California Sea Lions, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Pelagic Cormorants, Double-crested Cormorants, Pacific Madrone Trees, Common Sea Stars, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Bull Kelp, Pacific Rockweed, and Dall's Acorn Barnacles!" - Naturalist Kate Janes
posted by Island Adventures Whale Report @ 7:17 PM
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