Island Explorer 3 on-Scene with Orca Whales!!
Just a few miles West of Anacortes, our guests are watching Orca Whales breaching and tail slapping, reports Captain Carl! Click here to see where the Orca Whales are from space and stay tuned to the Whale Report for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes!
Right Side Up & Upside Down
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
Rostrum High to the Sky
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
Letting Loose (Rhapsody J32)Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
"No one was prepared for the day that lay before us. Moments off the dock we found a Super Pod of Orcas at Thatcher Pass! Finding Orcas in literally our own backyard is always a treat but to have the flat calm conditions and some very active Orcas is a dream! Slowly moving southward down Rosario Straits we never ventured south of James Island today! It was unbelievable they continued to mill about producing spyhops, taillobs, breaches, cartwheels and bellyrolls that left our eyes overstimulated!! It was along Blakely Island that Ruffles (J1) and Granny (J2) made their appearance! When we first saw them they were heading southward behind the rest of J pod, then suddenly the began milling about the boat!! Out of gear we watched as the literally circled in waters surrounding us!! Convinced they wanted to partake in some people watching, they after having their fill slowly began heading southward! Stunned we departed towards the north end of Cypress Island where we found a Bald Eagle perched high in a tree while a mother Harbor Seal swam with her young pup amoung the Bull Kelp! We circumnavigated Cypress Island rejoining the Orcas along Blakely Island for one last good bye! We left the Orcas resting ending by far the "best trip ever of the 2007-2008 Season"! Our evening trip started out on an incredible note! Perched high on Cap Sante Point a mature Bald Eagle looked down at us as we passed by a Belted Kingfisher perched near the waters edge! We navigated northward up the backside of Guemes Island enjoying Harbor Seals swimming, Pigeon Guillemots splashing into the water, and Harbor Porpoise gracefully swimming! We found the Orca Whales just south of Point Roberts in the same flat calm conditions as this morning! Coming on scene we noticed one very breach happy Orca and decided to see who it was! Miss Rhapsody (J32) was in quite high spirits! She breached at least 30 times during our visit and in one spectacular series she breached 5 times in a row!! When she wasn't breaching this youngster would taillobe as she prepared for the next session of breaches!! She was soon joined by her Aunt Oreo (J22) and cousins Doublestuff (J34) and Cookie (J38)! In their presence she only continued breaching along side them as they swam in close proximity!! Swimming along our starboard (right side of the boat) another subpod was in tight formation! Little Mako (J39) found himself wedged between his older siblings Blackberry (J27) & Tsuchi (J31)! We ended an incredible day watching the whales swimming northward up the Strait of Georgia in the glow of the setting sun!" - Naturalist Kate Janes
posted by Island Adventures Whale Report @ 10:53 AM
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