Do You Want to See it All?

Below: J-1 on May 9, 2008 taken by Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research

Today was a spectacular trip! The weather was phenomenal, perfect for being on the water and the rumor of the whales was true!!! We took off straight out of Friday Harbor to bring our guests to East Point on Saturna Island in Canada, where J-Pod was reported to be. On the way we learned about the orcas, specifically J-Pod and their fellow Resident families. We also learned that East Point, where we were headed, was the scene of the first orca capture. Moby Doll was harpooned off East Point while swimming with her family so an artist in Canada could make a life size model of an orca for the Vancouver Aquarium as realistic as possible. We've come a long way since those days and continue to learn more about the orca and their lives. Our guests got a great look into this lifestyle as we watched them foraging and playing a few miles off Saturna heading eastward towards Point Roberts. We got great looks at J-1 and J-26 as well as a group of unidentified J-Pod females. They seemed to be in high spirits and breached and spy hopped multiple times. Our guests even were able to catch some pictures of those breaches, spy hops, and tail slaps.

But wait, there's more! We even got looks at a dozen Steller Sea Lions hauled out on Boiling Reef as well as Harbor Seals hauled out nearby. We even had time to head over to Speiden and see the Mouflon Sheep and Fallow Deer as well as a Bald Eagle sitting on its nest. The trip was fabulous and our guests and crew had a really great time. See you all tomorrow!!!

Megan, Naturalist