2003 Whale Watching Report

November 14th - We are currently running 4 hour wildlife tours every Saturday from Anacortes, weather-depending. We've been seeing Harbor Seals, Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Porpoises, and Bald Eagles on every trip. Even though we're not out every day we have been keeping track of where the orcas are. They have been in the area and here are some recent sighting reports: On November 8th J & K's (about 40 orcas) were in Swanson Channel heading north into the Canadian Gulf Islands. The next day they were seen up in the Strait of Georgia near Texada Island and the Humpback was still in front of Victoria, B.C. The residents came back south and by the 12th they were down off the west side of Whidbey Island near Port Townsend. There have also been sightings of Gray Whales in Saratoga Passage. On the 13th, J and K's were still near the south end of Whidbey Island where there must be some good fishing! L pod was also on it's way back east in the Strait of Juan de Fuca so chances are pretty good for seeing them this Saturday. In early November the orcas were down in Puget sound much of the time, as they normally are this time of year.

October 26th - Our last guaranteed whale watching tour of the season was on Sunday, October 26th. We had been hearing about the friendly Humpbacks that have been feeding on Constance Bank, just south of Victoria for the past month. Today was the perfect day to make that trip with calm waters and sunny skies. We did get to see a Humpback a bit further west than we expected and had some great passes and great fluke shots. On the return trip captain Jeremy went out of his way to find Steller Sea Lions. He estimated 30 of these large animals hauled out on the rocks. Today the sun set an hour earlier due to the end of daylight savings time so our guests enjoyed a spectacular Rosario Straits sunset on the way home. Our next guaranteed whale watching trip will be the first Saturday in March of 2004. However, we are still running a 4 hour wildlife tour on Saturdays through December, departing at 11 am. The winter wildlife can be spectacular and the cooler temperatures are not a problem for the Island Explorer II.

October 19th - We had Orcas again today on the westshore of San Juan Island. They came back this morning through Boundary Pass and made all the way to south San Juan by the time we reached them. We also had a great look at Steller Sea Lions on Whale Rocks which was worth the price of admission all by itself! The Stellers will be around all winter then head to the outer coast around May.

October 18th - Sorry for the lack of whale reports - we have been on vacation! Now it's back to work to get ready for next season. We haven't been keeping up with daily reports but some interesting news is that a few Humpback whales have been hanging around near Victoria - and are very friendly. We had a recent report of Foster the false killer whale in Guemes Channel a couple of days ago. He swam right up to the Guemes Island Ferry to say hello! It would be great if he hung around Anacortes for a while - but was probably headed back up to the Coal Docks near Vancouver, B.C. We did run a trip today for the first time in a couple of weeks. The Orcas were first spotted off San Juan Island and at 11 am they were northbound near Henry Island. It was very windy today but when we were with the whales, J and K pods, the water flattened right out and we had a spectacular show! We first saw them at Mowat Point, just northwest of Stuart Island and traveled with them to Active Pass. They were heavily feeding and chasing down salmon. A couple juveniles were playing with a headless fish right off our bow! It's always great to see them eating their fill. Glad we didn't cancel today's trip!

September 29th - It was a bit foggy this morning as we headed out but had whale reports of critters on the west side of San Juan Island heading north. Captain Jeremy cruised through the inner islands knowing that we'd catch up to them near Stuart Island - the northwestern-most San Juan Island. We dodged almost all of the fog, had a great island tour, and watched all three pods of Orcas from Stuart Is. to the Canadian Gulf Islands.

September 28th -We were hoping the whales weren't still in Puget Sound as we left the dock. We headed south in hopes we'd find them coming back up to the north. Sure enough they were spotted near Port Townsend on the Whidbey Island side heading north - yeah! We met up with them near Smith Island out in the Strait and followed along with them to south Lopez. It was yet another great day for whale watching.

September 27th - A great day today! There was calm water, blue sky, no fog, and an early report from Island Express water taxi of whales 20 minutes from our dock. They turned out to be the J's coming back from the north. Needless to say we got to spend a lot of time with them - following them to the south end of Lopez Island where they met up with K's & L's to form a superpod. Later that day all three pods swam south into Puget Sound, not sure how far they got but were on the return trip the next morning.

September 26th - Even before we left the dock this morning we had reports of lots of whales at the south end of San Juan Islands at Eagle Pt. As we left the dock they were even a bit closer, fishing at salmon bank. The weather is perfect - calm water, no fog, sunny skies - all the makings for a great trip. This weekend should be even nicer as we wrap up a super September. We visited with L pod, maybe K's too and J's were reported way up north.

September 25th - Although we did not have a whale watching tour today, the whales were back in the islands - just as we thought they'd be. All three pods were on the west side of San Juan and fished most of the day at the south end.

September 24th - Our friends are still on vacation - must have found good fishing out in the Strait! Still a beautiful day with calm water and blue sky. We headed southwest today hoping to find Minke whales, transient orcas, and/or a Humpback whale. A Humpback and her calf were spotted a bit west of Victoria a couple days ago so we were hoping they would come further into the islands. The transient Orca T-14 was outside of Victoria yesterday but they travel so fast he could be anywhere today. We did have great bow-riding porpoises near Hein Bank which can be almost as exciting as the Orcas! And we found a Minke whale on our way home near Friday Harbor. It was nice to cruise through the inner islands on the way home. Other wildlife sightings: Harbor Porpoises and Steller Sea Lions. Stay tuned for more updates...the residents should be back tomorrow and whale watching will continue to be very consistent through October.

September 23rd - The Orcas were still out today - they probably headed west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If they had gone to the north we would likely have seen them by now. However, we did have a great trip, seeing lots of the beautiful island scenery, lots of wildlife including harbor seals, harbor porpoises, a Minke whale, and steller sea lions. There was a little fog today but not near as much as yesterday. Still calm water and mostly sunny skies and the weather forecast just keeps getting better! Summer doesn't want to give way to fall, thankfully.

September 22nd - We had one of the most interesting sightings today - a False Killer Whale, pseudo-orca, who has been living in the salish sea for about 18 years now. The last time we were fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with him was in 1992 when he was living at the south end of Lummi Island. Since then he has spent most of his days up near the Fraser River mouth by Vancouver, B.C. Today we spent time with him at the southwest end of Lopez Island, though it was quite a feat keeping him in sight because we had the thickest fog we've seen all year! Most of the fog finally cleared later in the afternoon but the weather was very interesting. The Orcas could not be found but we did find a Minke in the fog.

September 21st - Wow! What a great day it was. As we predicted, all three pods were cruising south in Rosario Strait in the morning. In fact, we were watching them within 20 minutes of the marina! We first came across J and K pods at Washington Park, right near the ferry dock. They were in a resting pattern as they continued to the south toward south Lopez Island. After watching these guys for a while we turned back to the north and visited with L pod. L's were traveling south, just a few miles behind J's and K's and were more active. We enjoyed some great close passes and some breaching, too.

September 20th - Sunny again today - AND calm water. Yeah! J, K, and L pods were up around the northwest part of the islands heading north. We decide to go around the north side of Orcas Island to be sure of catching up with them. J and K chose Swanson Channel and kept on going through Active Pass toward the Fraser. L's chose Boundary Pass, lucky for us, so we came on scene near Saturna Island (we would have had to go a lot farther if L's followed J and K's). They were very active and several of our passengers came away with some great photos. One in particular got a spectacular breach shot on his digital camera that Captain Shane was lobbying for. As I write this the Island Explorer II is just leaving the whales and will get to cruise through the most visited Island State Parks in Washington - Sucia Island. What a beautiful place. Hopefully the whales will stay up near the Fraser for several hours so that timing will be just right for finding them in Rosario Strait (near Anacortes) on Sunday!

September 19th - When we left the dock today everyone expected calm water and sunny skies since the weather looked so great in Anacortes. It was actually pretty nice but by the time we got out to the whales it was a bit more bumpy than anticipated. All three pods were off the south end of San Juan about 7 miles offshore. They seemed to love playing in the wind chop and we had some amazing looks as they cavorted near the Island Explorer II for quite a while. After a great show we headed back toward Lopez to find some calm water and other wildlife. Captain Shane found a Peregrine Falcon on James Island, a rare sighting here. He said the coolest thing was a group of about 20 Harbor Porpoises just east of Thatcher Pass. They were tightly grouped and swimming very close to the boat as it drifted there. It was quite unusual because Harbor Porpoises are typically very shy and it's hard to get a good look at them. This time they were so close we could easily hear them breathing as they surfaced. Two other unique sightings today included some Pacific White-Sided Dolphins that were riding the bow and stern wakes of the Victoria whale watch boats just outside of Victoria Harbor, and a False Killer Whale (probably our well-known resident, Foster) who was really interacting with the boats off the northwest side of San Juan Island. Foster is usually camped out up near the Coal Docks by Vancouver, B.C. but will take the occasional trip to other places around the Salish Sea.

September 18th- Lucky for us, and our passengers, we didn't run a tour today! The wind was blowing a steady 30 knots from the south and whipped up the seas to 4-6 foot chop - not fun at all. And worse yet the whales were right in the middle of it off south San Juan. At least they are still in the area (as expected) and hopefully tomorrow will bring calmer seas.

September 17th - This day wins out as our longest trip so far this month. All three pods were heading up to the northwest into the Canadian Gulf Islands, on their way to Active Pass and eventually up to the mouth of the Fraser River. Though we were late getting back to the dock, it was well worth it! We had quite an amazing show with lots of breaches and other aerial displays as well as several close encounters. Our passengers were amazed at how curious and friendly our resident Orcas are. Today's island tour was very complete - we made a full loop around Orcas Island, heading through the middle of the San Juans to the Gulf Islands and back through Navy Channel, the north side of Orcas Island, and the back side of Guemes.

September 16th - With J's and part of K's heading north we expected to see them on our side of the pond this morning but we had two reports: part of L's in Boundary Pass and some of K's and L's on the westside of San Juan. J's and company were missing in action. Captain Erik decided to head south but before making a beeline to the westside, he continued due west. He wanted to look to the north up Rosario in hopes that J's and K's were coming down from the north. It paid off! Erik spotted the orcas right in front of Thatcher Pass - just west of Anacortes. What a great day - lots of time with the whales, no other boats, close encounters, and a nice leisurely island tour.

September 15th - Finally something different today - we had more than one choice on which route to take. J's and part of K's were headed north up Boundary Pass in the AM while L's and the other part of K's stayed south off the westside of San Juan.We decided to go north for a change in scenery. It's not often we get to go into the bays of Sucia Island - a state park that is quite a fascinating place. It is the most popular and visited Island State Park in the area. The whale show was great and only one other boat with us!

September 14th - Everyone was worried about the weather today but it turned out to be great! Mostly sunny and calm in the islands. All three pods were on the westside of San Juan today - as they have been for the last two weeks, still playing, socializing, and feeding on salmon. We saw a lot of good bird activity out in the Strait today and looking forward to another super day tomorrow!

September 13th - We have seen the Orcas of J, K, and L pods every day so far this month! Another super day on the water - calm seas, sunny weather, & lots of whales! The residents have been hanging out in the triangle between North San Juan, Hein Bank, and South San Juan, resting in the morning and feeding & socializing in the afternoon. When we arrived on scene the whales were out near Hein Bank. They have been slowly making their way to south San Juan (Eagle Pt.) and along the way we've seen lots of interaction, socialization, close encounters with the boat, and one was playing with a log right in front of us. The vocalizations on the hydrophone were so loud we think Victoria, B.C. could hear them! You gotta get out here and see this before the season is over!!!

September 10th-12th - All three pods of whales have been in the same triangular pattern (what I call the September loop) in the Strait off south San Juan for the last three days. There's a lot of Silver Salmon out here for them to eat, which keeps the whales here in this area.The Captains and Crew keep saying how great the shows have been this month - They are surprised to have so much activity day after day! This is the time of year the whales seem to be the happiest - they've been eating, socializing, and mating all summer long. They're bellies are full and if they could smile we would be seeing some very wide grins on their faces! Other wildlife sighted recently: Loons, Canada Geese, Harbor Seals, Steller Sea Lions, Minke Whales, Porpoises (Dall's and Harbor), and even purple sea stars.

September 9th - (PM) It did turn out to be a spectacular day in Rosario Strait! We cruised along with J, K, and L pods as they meandered south through Rosario. Captain Erik told of a great encounter where a couple of juveniles were playing together. One was play-ramming the other, coming right at the Island Explorer II. They came feet away before diving down and just missing the boat as we sat dead in the water. He said it was wonderful watching the two play together. There was so much breaching going on the crew described it like 'popcorn'!

September 9th - Well, it's only 11:30 AM as I type this report but we have great sighting info this morning! The Orcas are just north of Orcas Island on their way back south. It should be all three pods still together. The Island Explorer II will be on scene very shortly and will have a terrific day as they bring us back down Rosario Strait past Anacortes. Yeah! We love it when they're on our side of the Islands.

September 8th - On Monday, our first report came from Shane and Tom. They were driving the shoreline of San Juan Island and could see a group of Orcas offshore. We knew we'd get to see them again today. When the Island Explorer II left the dock the whales were at the north end of San Juan Island so we headed through the middle of the islands - one of the most scenic routes. We caught up with the whales around Turn Point on Stuart Island, visiting with them as they cruised up in to Boundary Pass. All three pods were present - a total of 83 individuals. They were very social again today and at times interacting with the boat. At one point the whales approached so close as to get the passengers wet! They were heading up north toward Point Roberts so tomorrow looks good, as they generally come back to the south the next morning.

September 7th - Our first report came from Catchmore Charters at 11:20, after we left the dock. One group of Orcas was out off San Juan Island - the ones we were going to visit. Another group was off the coal terminal in north Georgia Strait near Vancouver, B.C. There was also a Humpback Whale south of Race Rocks and a group of transients at Otter Point, west of Victoria. As we arrived on scene, the whales were at the south end of San Juan Island and we identified them as L pod - they were in a sleeping pattern. After about 45 minutes they woke up and put on one of the very best aerial displays of the summer! For an example of what this day was like, check out the video clip #2 on the whale watching page of this site. It was just like this only lasting about 45 minutes!!!

September 6th - We woke up to a calm, clear day today and a couple of different Orca reports in the islands. The transients were still in the area, reported in the early morning at Pointer Island just east of Thatcher Pass near south Blakely Island. K and L pods were hanging out on the west side of San Juan. By the time we left the dock the transients were no where to be found so we headed straight for the westside. With at least 32 Orcas in the area we got some great looks. We also saw the first Steller Sea Lions at south Lopez since May! Another bonus was a sighting of Droopy - a Minke whale that was in the vicinity of transient Orcas (mammal-eating kind) a few weeks ago. We were very happy to see him, knowing that he wasn't lunch for the transients that day.

September 5th - Today was a record day for numbers of Orcas sighted! We set out in the morning toward the west side of San Juan Island via the inner island to see the resident orcas. It was a bit foggy in the morning so we went through the middle of the islands for a warmer cruise. J and K's were heading south at Stuart Island while L's were heading in from Race Rocks. By the time we got on scene all three pods came together and we had a great show! We listened to their vocalizations on the hydrophone for quite a while as well. Last week a group of Transient Orcas swam under Deception Pass bridge from the east to the west - there was a great underwater photo of the group on the front page of our local newspaper! They did the same thing today and when they came out from under the bridge they took a right and headed up toward Anacortes. We got to spend some time with them off of Burrow's Island on our way back home. What a nice bonus! We were a few minutes late but it was well worth it.

September 4th - What a super day for whale watching due to our unbelievable good weather - a recurring theme this whole summer! We had word that J's and K's were northwest of San Juan in the morning, headed north but we also had hushed word that L's were much closer, at the south end of San Juan. Captain Erik made the decision to head south out of Anacortes today, knowing we'd have more time to spend with the whales. It was a great choice because when we arrived there was no other boat around - what a treat! Everyone else was up north with the other group. One of the L's swam right to us, coming up quite close off our stern to say hello. The L's stayed in the same area today while J's & K's kept going north toward Vancouver, B.C. That's good news for tomorrow as they typically head back toward us the following morning.

September 3rd - Lucky, lucky, lucky day! Captain Erik steered left and headed for south Lopez. Just around the corner were K and L pods and they were swimming east! They were heading back toward Anacortes so this meant we'd have lots of time to enjoy their company today. And boy did we ever! The whales kept on going, up Rosario Strait to Burrow's Island which is immediately west of Anacortes. Needless to say we had lots of great looks and activity.

September 2nd - We've had some great tours these last few days! The residents have been cruising the perimeter of the islands, fishing, playing, and traveling. We saw 8 transients to the south off of Whidbey Island on the 29th, but no seal munching going on - fortunately. The Island Explorer passengers got to see one of the best breaches right off her bow on the 30th. We think it was Blackberry - a member of J pod. On the 31st we watched K-pod up in the Strait of Georgia. They were following J pod but not quite sure whether to keep following the J's or to turn south. They both ended up going all the way up past Point Roberts. Minke whales are still being sighted on a regular basis and had some good looks on Monday. At the south end of San Juan Island the vocalizations of K and L pods coming from the hydrophone today were awesome - what a great addition to the visual feast of black & whites.

August 28th - It was another glorious day for whale watching. We headed south in Rosario straits and met up with both J pod and K pod mid shore up San Juan Island. They were porpoising, traveling about 15mph, fast. We continued up with the whales and watched as they became a bit more social with many breaches and pectoral slaps. One small whale jumped out of the water successively, amazing! On our last pass with the whales a subgroup of K pod swam very close to the boat and we were able to see Cappuccino/K-21 swimming under the water next to us!!! On our return back to Anacortes we headed through the inner islands, a great island tour. We'll be out again tomorrow...

August 27th - Our whale watching experience was different today - there was a group of Transient Orca whales in the area and we headed south along the western shore of Whidbey Island. The group consisted of about nine animals and included a small whale probably under a year old. It was an interesting day all around as we saw a Tufted puffin near Smith Island on our return home! These fish eating birds are rare so we all felt quite fortunate to have seen these two unique sightings on our cruise today.

August 25th - It was a great day to be on our whale watching boats today. We met up with a large group of L-pod Orcas at the southern shore of Stuart Island heading north. They were quite active when we first arrived on scene with many individual whales breaching several times. As we continued to watch a group with a handful of larger males was traveling close to the boat when two of them rolled over on their backs and slapped their tails on the water again and again. Had we been on their tail-side rather than their head-side we would have gotten wet for sure! This display was amazing to watch so close. Several times the whales traveled right by the boat and we were able to get some great looks. There were also breaches from the larger males, quite a sight indeed. We also witnessed the whales playing with the bull kelp, a long rope-like seaweed, something called "kelping". They swim under the kelp and raise their tails so that the seaweed drapes along their tail. Wonderful looks all around at the whales playing, swimming, jumping, traveling, spyhopping, and traveling north in the afternoon sun. On our cruise back through the inner islands we enjoyed great views of the San Juans as well as a close look at Bald Eagle on Armitage Island.

August 24th - Our tours today left Anacortes at different times today and saw different pods of Orcas. Just two hours can make quite a difference as the whales move very quickly through the water. The Island Explorer II met up with J-pod, K-pod, and some of L-pod as they traveled up north into Canadian waters. The Island Explorer watched the rest of L-pod down off the southern shore of San Juan Islands, a bit closer to home. All of our guests today saw the whales and that is really all that matters. We were also able to see Bald eagles, Harbor seals, and porpoises on both our cruises today.

August 23rd -Another great day out in the islands with Orcas today. Both our vessels watched lots of Orcas at the south end of Lopez Island. The Island Explorer II was with the whales all by themselves for a time, which can make for a very memorable whale watching experience. Here at the end of August and into September watching whales out in the San Juans can be the most wonderful time all year.

August 22nd -It was a wonderful day for whale watching out in the islands today. Both our vessels watched Orca whales today in Canadian waters. I was on the Island Explorer II today and we were able to get some great looks at J, K, and L Pod as they traveled and socialized near Saturna Island. When we first arrived on scene there was a lot of aerial activity from a group of L's as they breached out of the water again and again. There was one moment when two adult whales jumped out of the water simultaneously; this is a rare sighting so we all felt quite fortunate to have witnessed this event. As the pods traveled east we shut down the boat in a great spot and the group of whales passed right under the boat! The whale views were spectacular today, and the weather turned out to be great as well. With a tour through the inner islands and back on the northerner shore of Orcas Island our guests enjoyed great scenery as well as active whales. It was definitely a wonderful day for whale watching.

August 21st - Our whale watching adventure today did not take us too far from home as our whale viewing was from the southern tip of San Juan Island east to the southern shore of Lopez Island. We were with a subgroup of L Pod today including the L-2s, L-5s and L-26s. They were foraging a bit offshore which allowed us to get some good looks at these amazing animals. Another day with orcas - another great day.

August 19th - We watched Transient Orcas on our wildlife cruises today. The T-18s were offshore of Victoria and presumably hunting. Transients eat marine mammals such as seals and sea lions so everyone onboard was on edge wondering if the whales would offer an PG-13 rated viewing (for violence). Watching these Orcas was a treat as they aren't in the area when our resident Orcas are around. The day was complete with a Minke whale sighted off the southern shore of Lopez Island.

August 18th -The Island Explorer II headed south around Lopez Island on their wildlife cruise today. They found a Minke whale at Salmon Bank and spent some time watching this animal fish in the shallow waters. At last report they had headed into the islands through San Juan Channel and were tracking down another whale report. The Island Explorer initially headed through the middle of the islands on their whale search today. The Minke found earlier in the day eluded those on the Island Explorer today and all of her passengers have the option of riding along with us again. Our hands were tied due to weather today as the straits were a bit too bumpy to watch the Minkes feeding at Hein Bank. Our success rate is still at and industry leading 95%. We expect to watch many whales on our cruises tomorrow.

August 5th - Our day out on the water was filled with many wildlife sightings and noteworthy events. The Island Explorer II headed south in Rosario Straits and spent some time at the southern shore of Lopez Island and the surrounding wildlife refuges where we saw Harbor seals, Pigeon guillemots, and a great Bald eagle perched in a tree. We then nosed into the rocky shore and peered into the water and saw many purple sea stars clinging to the rock among the seaweed. Not long after we found our first whale, a Minke whale, traveling just west of Swirl Rock. We were able to get some great looks at this animal before heading our toward Hein Bank. This bank is rich in food and when we got on scene that fact became obvious as there were large groups of birds diving into the water and eating the fish. These "bird balls" were huge, the largest I've seen all year, and consisted of Heermann's gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets, Common murres, and Glaucous-winged gulls; they were quite entertaining to watch. As we watched the birds feed the Minke whales in the area came up under the group of fish and ate the entire school! It is great watching these animals lunge feed in this manner and there were several whales feeding out there today. We spent quite a bit of time on scene as the whales worked the fish, back and forth along the bank. The Island Explorer also found the Minke whale just off Swirl Rock and saw some great looks as this animal was feeding. We had the unfortunate opportunity to witness the unintended catch from the gill-netters out in the straits, Common murres floating upside down on the water's surface. There is a lot of fish out there in the water this time of year and many predators, including humans, were utilizing that resource today. The whale watching continues as we are now 95.4% successful with whale sightings this year.

July 15th - Another great day with all three pods today. Both our vessels viewed the Orcas in roughly the same area as we did on yesterday's tour. This is noteworthy because these animals often travel 100 miles in a day. After our tours yesterday they actually headed out west to Race Rocks and up north to Henry Island before congregating back in the Straits this afternoon. The orcas were very active today with many breaches, quite a few from the older males. It is mating season for the orcas and this heightened activity may be related to this ritual. With all the breaches, spyhops, and tail lobbing from Orcas on their backs there was definitely a lot of film taken today! Not only were the orcas amazing we also watched a Minke whale feeding off south Lopez Island. A whale-double header today for the Island Explorer II.

--> Our tour this evening with the Washington Health Care Association, a private charter, saw whales this evening!!! The Orcas were just south of Lopez, close enough for a three hour tour to see the whales as well as an amazing sunset.

June 4th - The K-Pod and L-Pod Orca whales are back!
What a great day out on the water whale watching! The Island Explorer II and Island Explorer watched all three pods of Orcas today out in the flat calm water in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. If you have seen Video Clip #1 on our Whale Watch Tours page you will get an idea of what the whale watching was like today, but add sunshine. The orcas were breaching again and again out of the water, an amazing sight to say the least. K-Pod and L-Pod came in off the ocean and met up with J-Pod creating a Superpod adding up to about 85 individual animals!!! These superpods can be quite amazing with all three groups of orcas displaying "party" behavior, and we definitely saw that today. It seems there is another calf out there in L-pod :) now the fifth new little whale in the southern resident community. It looks like summer is here, this great sunshine is forecasted to stay with us through the weekend.

April 22nd - The Island Explorer went out into the islands today and found J-Pod just off Henry Island. They were spread out and traveling north this sunny afternoon. As we watched a group consisting of several families one of the whales breached twice. The jumper appeared to be Mike/J-26, a sprouting male who is quite a bit larger than the last time we identified him last fall. This 12 year old will grow fast, his dorsal fin reaching the height of 6 feet by around age eighteen. Speaking of 6-foot-tall dorsal fins, we also saw Ruffles today, the sun gleaming off his large dorsal fin as he passed of the bow of the boat. On the way back to town we saw five Bald eagles soaring over Blakely island, "kettling" in the warm updrafts. It was an excellent day out on the water with our resident orcas.

Photo taken by one of our passengers. Coincidently the photographer and the whale are both named Mike.

Recent Events

°NEWS ON SPRINGER

Springer is back! She was photographed Wednesday, July 9th near Port Hardy (northern Vancouver Island). Her presence has been confirmed by local whale researcher Paul Spong who identified her saddlepatch in the photo. It appears she is in good health and is still swimming with her family, A-Pod. This is great news...no one was sure if she would remain with the pod after she was found alone in Puget Sound in early 2002. She seems to be back to wild-whale status!

Baby Orcas

There is a buzz in the air - we have had five calves born into the southern resident community of orcas this winter. All three pods have been seen with a new orca baby! The new additions in L-Pod are L-101, Splash/L-67's second offspring and L-103, Nugget/L-55's third calf. K-16/Opus has a new calf, K-35 and J-pod's first calf of the season belongs to Oreo/J-22 who is also mother of Double Stuf. J-Pod has yet another calf, J-39, and is the fourth calf of Blossom/J-11. These new births bring the local population up to 86 (if you count Luna, still isolated off the western coast of Vancouver Island), an increase over the past four years.

Navy Sonar

You may have heard that the Navy emitted some low frequency sonar in the Straits of Juan de Fuca in the last month. The Island Explorer II was actually present with the whales when the Navy's vessel Shoop was passing by emitting a sound we could hear above the water. As the sonar was sounding the whales appeared agitated and did display some unusual behaviors. Since the initial sound emission they appear to be back to business as usual. They have been traveling in their normal patterns and appear normal to all of us experienced whale watchers. For more information regarding the sonar encounter you can contact Orca Network, The Whale Museum, or The Center for Whale Research.

Luna the "Lone Whale"

A curious separation from the strong bonds of orca family involves one of our local pods, L-Pod. Luna/L-98 was presumed to be dead when he wasn't with his pod early in 2001. It wasn't until summer of 2002 that he was found alone in an isolated bay on the west side of Vancouver Island. He is quite healthy, eating Steelhead salmon and frolicking in the bay. Researchers have tried to coerce him to swim out of the bay but he seems to want to stay. It is not known why this young orca strayed from the pod. His mother is still with the rest of the family and is also the mother of one of the newest members of the Orca society, L-101, first seen in October of 2002. Luna is still in by himself and questions about his future frequent local news reports and often stirs debate.