Forecast: Rainy with a good chance of whales!

Well what a rainy Wednesday! We're getting some much needed rain on the island...however I can't wait till it's sunny again! Traveled north this afternoon into Canadian waters to meet up with the southbound J-Pod.

Got our first good looks at dorsal fins out at Boiling Reef....with the flooding tide there were some really nice currents, rips and whirlpools out there! The dozen or so Orcas we encountered were in a tight traveling group, slowly making their way against the incoming tide. They travelled towards Saturna Island (the most southerly of the Canadian Gulf Islands) and really hugged the shore as they made their way south.

Great looks at who we identified as members of J-Pod. J-27 (Blackberry) was amongst the pod with his mother J-11 (Blossom), aunt J-19 (Sachi) and younger brother J-39 (Mako). It was a beautiful sight; the Orcas moved so gracefully and surfaced to breath within seconds of each other. We tried the hydrophone (the underwater microphone) a few times, but the water was quiet, no vocalizations between animals. Looked as though there was a little resting behavior, then a few spy hops as well as the occasional tail slap or flipper slap. Overall just a graceful viewing of the Orcas moving together!

-jaclyn, naturalist