Whale of a Tale

Below: J-1, Ruffles, an adult male member of J-Pod and one of the most photographed whales in the world... he's pretty much a celebrity around here.

I know we often say every day is amazing, and that is quite simply because every day the animals and the group dynamic is different and all together amazing. However, today's experience was incredibly moving for everyone on board. We had an intimate group and we also had some great looks at J-Pod. This group was especially touched after hearing the plight of our whales on the way to Bird Rocks (off Lopez Island in the Rosario Strait). They learned about the toxins, captures, and depleted salmon runs and were motivated to take action, even if it meant on a small scale level at home.

As soon as J-Pod was spotted, our guests were so overcome with emotion that they couldn't help but tear up. Seeing the orca in their natural environment with their families really pulls at your heart and makes you want to protect our resources. The whales must have been in tune with our groups emotions and gave us some great looks at tail slaps, spy hopes, and breaches about 100 yards off our bow. One individual breached five times right in front of us!!! Every day is a learning experience and the more we at San Juan Safaris witness the positive impact these trips have on people, the more fulfilling the job becomes. J-Pod's males really gave us a show and of course Ruffles was looking as wonderful as ever as he spy hopped and breached in our midst. Despite the rain, we couldn't have asked for a better day and look forward to sharing our love of these orca with future guests!

Megan, Naturalist