Hey Mom, Check this Out!!!

Today, although a tinge rainy, was flat calm on the water and the lighting couldn't have been better for seeing black dorsal fins against the white sky. We left Friday Harbor heading south towards Hein Bank, where J-Pod was reported to be foraging. Our guests, many of which hadn't seen orcas in the wild, were pleased to see J-Pod swimming south towards Puget Sound with the lovely Olympic Mountains serving as the backdrop. The family was spread out over a few miles, but we were treated once again with J-16, Slick, and her year old calf J-42, who has yet to be named. Calves are not named until they turn one year old due to our high infant mortality rate. Our whales harbor toxins, from pollution, in their fat. Orcas are mammals and feed their offspring milk. This milk is a toxic cocktail and many times calves don't make it past their first year. J-42, however, looked quite happy and playful as she breached multiple times in front of our boat. She must have loved all the humans cooing over her and continued to put on a show. She should be receiving a name soon and our guests like Andromeda... so we'll see how that turns out. (Members of the Whale Museum can vote on a name for the calves this summer.)

We look forward to our trip tomorrow at 1pm, and maybe, if we're lucky, J-42 will give us another show. Until then...

Megan, Naturalist