Whale Watching Report

The Island Explorer 3 is on-scene with the Orca Whales in Thatcher Pass, near Decatur Island! Stay tuned for a whale report from Naturalist Kate Janes!

Little Ones (L110 & L109)

Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes

"What a beautiful summer day! Both trips today enjoyed orca whales in our backyard! This morning we looked up Rosario Strait and there in the water were the orcas of L pod!! We enjoyed Mega (L41) as he swam with a large group of females, juveniles & calves! Among the group was Nugget (L55) & her newest calf L109, who has just turned a year!! Moonlight (L83) was traveling right along side Nugget, with little L110! Maybe the young ones were enjoying a little "play date"! Glass calm waters followed us to the south end of Lopez Island as our guests enjoyed a Bald Eagle's nest and a mature Bald Eagle perched on the rocks! Just as we rounded Castle Rock we found ourselves back with the whales! Our evening trip headed north, where we found the orca whales of J pod just off Point Lawrence! We arrive on scene to find Faith (L57) enjoying the company of a J pod female! Mating can occur any time of the year, however the orcas do not mate inside their pod. Females of J pod will mate with males of either L or K pod! We later caught up with Samith (J14), Riptide (J30), Spieden (J8)& Ruffles (J1). The pod was really spread out from the shores of Orcas Island to the shores of Barnes Island! Our guests also enjoyed 8 Bald Eagles, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Seals, Rhinoceros Auklets, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Pelagic & Double-crested Cormorants!" - Naturalist Kate Janes