Transient Orca Kill

The following video was sent in to us by our guest Thijs Bekkers. He went out on the MV Sea Lion on Sunday, September 14. The video is of the T18s killing a Harbor Seal near Yellow Island in San Juan Channel. Enjoy! (Don't worry, it's not bloody.)

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=rrNwGnBoFK8

Seeing Blue; Thinking Green

It's easy to take pride in your job when people come onto the boat as tourists and leave as activists. We had a wonderful group of guests today from all over the world and everyone was interested in learning as much as they could about the orcas and their plight.

We were pretty lucky today to have amazing encounters with J Pod, Dall's Porpoise, and a Steller Sea Lion. We began our trip seeing J Pod. They were all foraging between Smuggler's Cove and Lime Kiln. There were a few tightly packed family groups (the J2s were all foraging together inshore) and then other individuals who were a bit more spread out offshore. We had fabulous looks at the J11s (sans J11). J27 (Blackberry) and his younger siblings were all fishing together. It looked like Tsuchi and Mako (J31 and 39 respectively) took up the rear of the group while Blackberry steamed ahead. The animals were bucking the current as they headed down island. We got some great looks at the family groups as well as a few sightings of J1's flailing sea snake... for more information on this, ask your parents.

We decided to head down island to circumnavigate the island and search for porpoise as well as Steller Sea Lions. It seems however, as if the Dall's Porpoise found us. They came shooting into the bow of the boat as we were travelling along and gave us an incredible show as they swam in and out of the bow's pressure wave. They were doing the porpoise equivalent of surfing. They hung out with us for almost ten minutes, playing and rolling around each other while slicing through the water like knives through soft butter! These little buggers are sooooo fast! It was incredible to see their stocky little bodies moving at such speeds with their black and white tails pumping so effortlessly. Our guests were thrilled with the encounter and were chatting about the Dall's the rest of the trip.

As if that weren't enough, we had an awesome look at a Steller Sea Lion as he whoofed down a HUGE salmon just off Whale Rocks. He was thrashing about in a thrall of gulls, tearing the salmon apart before our wide eyes. He basically chugged the salmon down in a matter of minutes. (Pretty effective for not having hands to grab it with.) We also saw flocks of sea birds hanging out, including a group of my favs: Harlequin Ducks. Their pretty faces look like someone painted make-up on them, hence their name.

As said before, I can't get over the beauty of this area and the complexity of the wildlife here. Our guests had mounds of questions about the orcas, their status, aquatic parks, pollution, and fish farms. I don't think it's enough for people to come and enjoy this area without learning some of the problems this ecosystem is facing. Our orcas are suffering from contamination of lead, mercury, PCBs, DDTs, and even fire retardants. Their food is running low, they have a high infant mortality rate, and we are missing many key individuals. An entire generation of animals was removed from here for aquariums, leaving holes in their social hierarchy as well as less genetic diversity. Many, if not all, of the problems these guys are facing can be linked to humans. The orcas make a great poster child for concerns not simply because they're so charismatic, but also due to their position on the food chain. They are a top oceanic predator, and therefore suffer from greater contamination and lack of food. Humans, however, are basically the top of the global food chain. If these orcas are suffering now, what does this say for us in the future? Although the prognosis seems bleak, there is hope if we all pitch in to make a difference. Our guests today pledged to make a difference in their own lives and maybe this will save not only our Southern Resident Killer Whales, but also some less appreciated creatures in their own back yards. The world is becoming smaller by the minute and it's up to us to work together to save it.

I will get off my soapbox now and enjoy the memories of the day with such incredible creatures.

For more information on what you can do to help make a difference for our orcas please visit the Whale Museum's page at: http://www.whalemuseum.org/education/library/helporcas.html

Megan Young, Naturalist

September Whales

Below: An orca spy hops off San Juan Island. Photo by guest Christophe Paulbert from the Sea

Lion.

The whale watching season is drawing to a close. We only have a few solid weeks left of tours and then we are only taking people out on the weekends. It seems as if the orcas know the end is near and the past two days have been excellent shows!!!

Today, we met up with J Pod and members of K and L in Boundary Pass, just south of East Point on Saturna Island. The animals were moving at a pretty steady clip west towards the Haro Strait. They were porpoising out of the water, moving similar to a swimmer doing the butterfly stroke, bringing most of their bodies out of the water so it appeared they were hydroplaning. (Micheal Phelps, although an amazing swimmer, has nothing on these guys.) They continued to move through the pass with breaks to forage and socialize. We caught some great breaches, cartwheels, and spy hops throughout the trip. They really seemed to be in a good mood. We even saw J36 (Alki) breach multiple times near her mother and little sister (J16 and J42). She would breach (that means jump) with every respiration! Instead of simply exposing her blowhole for air, she leapt out of the water nearly six times! All our aspiring photographers were able to get great shots of her showing off because her repetition allowed them to point their cameras in the right spot. This allowed us to talk about why they breach, which is still somewhat of a mystery. It could be because they're in a good mood, to dislodge parasites, to sluff off skin, a means of aggression, or a means of communication. If only we could get into their minds and give meaning to such behaviors... until then we're left to speculate. Although, I wouldn't mind thinking it's because they're happy.

I only have a week left before I move to LA for the winter and although every time I see them it's a treat, these last few encounters will be extra special to me. They definitely made this encounter one to remember.

Call today to make a reservation... time is running out!!!!!!

Megan Young, Naturalist

Residents come back to the west side!

The rainy pacific northwest lived up to its name today. We left for the Victoria area, where the Resident Killer Whales were inbound towards our waters... and fast! Flat, calm waters in the strait, a hint of sunshine trying to peak through the clouds....

A lot of guests were interested, but upset to learn of the current threats facing our endangered population of Southern Resident Killer Whales. The decline of the Orcas' food (salmon) and the looming threat of fisheries collapsing around the world was disturbing news to our guests. For many this is a situation they were unaware of, which makes it all the more special to experience an animal like the Orca in the wild.

I always love days like today when the Residents have been somewhere offshore for days then they make their grand entrance back to the San Juans. It is a wonderful sight to see all 3 pods returning at once. Orcas' dorsals slicing through the water to the left and right! As we let them parade by, we had some great looks at K21 & K40...then later of L72 Racer, brother Nigel, and calf L105. When we caught up to the rest of the Js and Ks 3 miles off Hannah Heights they were playfully swimming through the current rip along with all the birds! In fact I've never seen so many birds on the west side as today! Gulls, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Phalaropes, Cormorants...just to name a few. There were hundreds of birds out, feeding, diving, flocking overhead. J1 & friends got a little playful...there were breaches, belly rolls and tail slaps. I still can't get over all the birds! Seemed like there was a lot of bait fish in the water, which is good news.

The wind started to pick up out of the East as we headed back for Cattle Pass. Weather is amazing. In just a few short minutes it went from glassy to 3-4 foot chop and swells! What a ride back in. Spray flying over the bow, windshield wipers going....not much rain and a peak of a rainbow over the south end of San Juan Island. Back in the protected waters between Lopez and San Juan guests were feeling lucky to have had such a great look at the Orcas with the waters previously so calm. I think (and hope) many guests left with a newfound appreciation for nature and maybe a new awareness to protect it.

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

Fall has Arrived

Today was a brisk fall day on the island and the crisp air was perfect for seeing transients.

We began the trip with no confirmed sightings and went north in search of rumored Ts. However, we abandoned this search in order to make it to Hein Bank for the Ts who were reported to be hanging out there and moving in our direction. Once on scene, we were quick to realize we had T20 and T21 (T20's dorsal fin is difficult to mistake). T21 was a perfect example of a transient fin and gave our guest a clear demonstration of that triangular fin, which was in contrast to our ID photos of the residents' curved and rounded fins. The animals were swimming apart (about four hundred yards), which is not far for orcas who can communicate to one another over much farther distances. They were diving for about 6-7 minutes between 4-6 respirations. There were Dall's Porpoises in the area and the Ts didn't seem to be in a hungry mood given their lack of interest.

On our way back to Friday Harbor, after circumnavigating San Juan Island, we saw a group of 14 Steller Sea Lions hauled out of the rocks with at least three in the water! They were all sunning themselves majestically on the rocks. It was nice to see such a big group of males together and it seems they are coming back from their summer hiatus to the Aleutian Islands.

Today was another top notch trip and we look forward to hitting the "high seas" again tomorrow at 1pm. We still have a few spots left so reserve your trip ASAP!

Megan Young, Naturalist

SUN, SUN SUN on San Juan Island

I took this photo off of Downriggers Restaurant Patio at 11:00 today Tuesday September 23, 2008. Just wanted eveyone to see how pretty it was today on a fall September morning. It is already warm and getting a bit warmer.

Come on up! Colleen

View of Friday Harbor-The Harbor

As we were dining at the Friday Harbor House with friends last evening Bill snapped this photo at about 6:30 PM September 21, 2008. It is officially fall.

Where's the pot of gold?

We saw whales!! And more than one species! In San Juan Channel we found a small Minke whale moving southbound. Minkes are a small baleen whale, filter feeding on small schooling fish....typically no larger than 30 feet in length. This little one, must be a young one, it was probably no longer than 20 feet, although they are hard to judge in size when they surface. Interesting that this little guy or gal was in the channel, we more commonly see them out at Salmon or Hein Bank, or at least somewhere near Cattle Pass. Very cool though and some great looks! Also saw a few Harbor Porpoise while we were waiting for the Minke to re-surface after a longer dive.

Off into Canadian waters near Moresby Island we met up with a group of 4 Transient Orcas. According to Soundwatch it is believed these were with a larger group of Ts seen around Nanaimo yesterday! That means they really have travelled quite a distance...maybe 60 miles or so! They were somewhat elusive....changing direction frequently but still milling about in the general area. It was not unusual for this pod to take a few shallow dives, surfacing over the coarse of a few minutes, then be down for 5-10 minutes and have done a 180 degree turn and surface over 1/4 mile away! We think it may have been the T124As....mom with her 3 calves.

Scouting for Bald Eagles on the way back in...no luck...but lots of Harbor Seals swimming and lounging about. The Minke was still in the channel, judging by the other whale watching boat and research boat in the vicinity.

To top it off a brief rain cloud passed overhead, a nice rain shower followed by a beautiful rainbow! The end touching down somewhere in the water! Now all we need is the pot of gold!

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

All Things in Time

Today was one of those days where we left the harbor with no reports of orcas in our area. We decided to head north up San Juan Channel and look for other wildlife, while keeping a watchful eye on the water for transient orcas.

We saw several Pacific Harbor Seals hauled out and swimming in the water... but no sign of the ever sneaky Ts. However, this didn't last long. While admiring the seals, we got a report of Ts hanging out at Hein Bank. We booked it across the north side of Speiden and then down the Haro Strait to meet up with them.

We encountered the T30s (T30, T30A, T30B, and T30C) moseying along in a tight group. They weren't going anywhere fast, didn't appear to be hunting, and weren't vocalizing at all. Apparently T30A was tagged a few days ago and his family group was returning to our area after spending a few days off the west coast of Vancouver Island. (It's amazing how far these guys can travel in just a few days!) We got some great looks at all the animals, but T30A seemed to be the favorite of the day (perhaps because his tall dorsal is easier to take pictures of).

We ended up circumnavigating San Juan Island and caught a glimpse of three Steller Sea Lions frolicking in the kelp just off Whale Rocks in Cattle Pass. The Stellers are a sure sign that fall is just around the corner...

Megan Young, Naturalist

Something's fishy...

With a report of Residents heading south from Turn Point, we cruised to the west side. Once on scene we had reports from other boats that there were Js & Ks already south of Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Fortunately out of the blue we saw a few dorsals south of Henry Island, but still north of the Lighthouse. At first the big male looked like J26, open V saddle patch...with the Orcas moving fast and spread out a little tough to confirm it. We were able to parallel a female that was offshore a bit, with an open patch, notch on the trailing side 1/3 from the top, and a nick at the base of her leading edge dorsal....L67. These little differences on the dorsal fin allow us to distinguish one animal from the next. According to the Center for Whale Research's updated guide, apparently L67 is ill as of 9/13. I don't know much about this...so I'm curious to learn more about how L67's health. As for that male, it leads me to believe perhaps it was her brother L78, Gaia....

Further south and offshore, we had great observations of L26 a 52 year old female doing some foraging with 15 year old daughter L90 and 13 year old grandson L92. It was really wonderful to watch these three work together, changing direction, arching on their deeper dives as they hunted for salmon.

The Orcas today were so spread out, we really had to make our way offshore before returning through Cattle Pass. On Whale Rocks we encountered one sleepy Stellar Sea Lion, the typical group of Harbor Seals hauled out, and downwind we experienced that pungent aroma of Gull and Cormorant guano! A few Stellar's swimming in the water, circling Whale Rocks and then we saw several Harbor Porpoise in San Juan Channel. No sign of rumored Transient Orcas in the channel, but we certainly did observe a plethora of active wildlife today!!

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

A long haul!

We had a long haul northwest of East Point, Saturna Island to get to a group of 10-11 Transient Orcas today. Not sure if time would allow, we decided to go for it, and luckily made it up to view the Orcas. A long drive, but well worth it! Caught up with the Ts near the Bell Chain Islands on the north side of Saturna and Mayne Islands. I am unsure of the animals...looked like T19B....I'm speculating mom T19, sibling T19C, and grandmother T18 along with another 6 or so Orcas. They were spread out, changing direction a bit, but steadily heading towards Active Pass. Then they all swam towards each other, as if a little meeting had been called. There were a few breaches, inverted tail slaps, and belly rolls. Having come such a far way, we had to head back before we had a chance to put the hydrophone in, but according to another Captain they were vocalizing quite a bit! This little Transient social party made our trip well worth the long journey!

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

Tag Talk

Photo: T14 "Pender" taken by Adam U aboard the Sea Lion this June.

We had an interesting encounter today with the T18s, not only because of their behavior, but because we could catch a glimpse of a research vessel in action as well.

We saw the T18s in Rosario just outside of Thatcher Pass. The research vessel Phocoena was on scene and had just put a tag on T19B. From chatter on the radio, it seemed the animal was darted in the middle of his fin and the device will stay on a few days and record his pattern of travel over time. It would be interesting to see what the Ts' travel patterns are. Although in the short term, they seem to be erratic, they may have a "pattern" over time. (Like T14 who seems to circumnavigate Vancouver Island.)

The animals moved from Thatcher Pass up Rosario and then back through Peavine Pass and we left them in Upright Channel. It was difficult to predict their movements today because they were making long dives and swimming in no particular direction. They would dive going one way and surface somewhere completely different! Typical Transients! The data the research vessel collects should make an interesting picture... probably like a two year old's nonsensical scribbling.

Despite their inconvenient dives, we had a spectacular trip and really got to see the typical movement of Transients.

Megan Young, Naturalist

Close Encounters of the Cultural Kind

Photo Below: Male orca taken by Christophe Paulbert from the Sea Lion this summer.

Today was probably one of the best opportunities for our guests to see the difference between Residents and Transients and what happens when they're in close quarters.

We left today out of Friday Harbor heading up San Juan Channel toward members of J, K, and L pods. However, we turned around when word surfaced that some L Pod members were near Fisherman's Bay on Lopez Island. We decided to head to them and encountered the L4s along with who we believe were members of the L21s. The animals were tightly grouped and backlit, which made a positive ID difficult. They appeared to be milling around and socializing until they decided to move up San Juan Channel and possibly toward the northern group we heard about earlier. However, we got word shortly after this behavior change that Transients were in Griffin Bay, just a few miles south of us! Upon further investigation, we found it was the T18s. They also made their way up San Juan Channel in the same direction as the Residents!

We were really able to observe the differences between the two cultures. We saw how they travel differently in different sized groups and in different patterns all together. We could see the physical differences in dorsal fins and saddle patches as well as different hunting techniques. Throughout most of our encounter the Residents and the Transients were roughly 1/4 mile apart!!! However, they were never in physical contact that we could see. In fact, they appeared to mostly ignore each other. We stayed with the Ts for the second half of the trip and ended our encounter with a nice Harbor Seal kill near Yellow Island... again Transients showing us just how different they are.

The weather was great and the whales were spectacular! We still have spots available for tomorrow's trip. Call for a reservation!

Megan Young, Naturalist

L pod in Rosario!

September has been a remarkable month for weather! A fine summer-like day this afternoon. We motored to the south, with Captain Pete sharing his enthusiasm for the currents in Cattle Pass, and then had great looks at the Harbor Seals and Stellar Sea Lions around Whale Rocks. After viewing the Bald Eagle nest, (no eagles around...they're probably all feasting on the salmon that have since spawned and are now dying in the Skagit River), we came around the south end of Lopez Island into Rosario Strait. Met up with members of L pod....the L2s, L21s, L86, and L55s. The Orcas were fairly spread out moving north...as they got into some currents at a reef there was a lot of change in direction, maybe some foraging. Breaching, spyhops, tailslaps, and belly rolls....the Orcas were playful today! The L2s, with 19 year old male, Gaia (L78) split off from the others continuing north. Meanwhile the L21s (and others) formed a tight knit traveling group and turned around, heading southwest. With the Olympic Mountains in clear view and the sun's reflection, we watched as the silhouetted Orcas surfaced side by side towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Just breathtaking.

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

Orca Whales in Victoria Sept 11 Thursday

This great photo was sent in to us by Jack High who was a guest on our boat Thursday when we travel 1.5 hours to arrive just off shore of Victoria. The whales were very spread out that day. We are fairly certain that this whale was hunting fish under out boat.

Block Party

Below: Another photo from our guest Christophe Paulbert, taken from the Sea Lion this July.

It seems like every time we see orcas we have a uniquely memorable encounter. We met up with members of J and L pods and possible members from K. In fact, a guest spotted J1 in an area we were not expecting to see orcas, just outside Cattle Pass. We decided to stop and hang out with J1 and J2 as they foraged just up-island of Salmon Bank, roughly 3/4 miles off shore.

We decided to move on from J1 and J2 in favor of a larger group further up-island from them. We encountered animals we believe to be from K pod here. I think we saw K20 and her calf K38... K20 is usually quite obvious, but she was slicing straight through the water and I couldn't see her saddle. However, I did wonder who "that guy" was, and when I saw the calf I instantly guessed K20. K20 aka Spock was believed to be a male until she showed up with a calf due to her larger and straighter dorsal fin. We also saw a large group of roughly 25 animals from J and L pods. Although it appeared there were more animals there than we identified, we for sure saw most members of the J17s, J11s, J19s, J22s, J16s, J8 (basically all of J Pod), and the L43s. They were swimming tightly together, but not all surfacing in sequence, which made it easier to see who was there. They appeared to be heading in the direction of Hein Bank when we left them around 3:30PM.

Megan Young, Naturalist

Transients in Canada!

Out on a earlier trip today on the Kittiwake....a report of Transient Orcas in Canadian waters, just off of Sidney....a report of Resident Orcas on the west side. With the fog thick to the south end of San Juan Island, we head north to the Ts! Clear, calm waters with the sun shining! The T46s, comprised of mother T46B and calves T46B1 and T46B2, probably with grandmother T46 were all traveling south. The little baby T46B2 was keeping the pace with the others! We traveled with this pod inshore of us and the T30s across the channel on the other side of us! Which way to look? Both groups would take several shallow dives followed by a longer dive that last a few minutes. Each time they surfaced we were surprised at just how far they had traveled. Just goes to show you how unpredictable the Ts really are in their dives.

Spent the rest of the trip viewing sunbathing harbor seals, visiting the nesting birds on Mandarte Island, and making our way back into U.S. waters by way of Stuart Island. Our guests on board loved the wildlife and islands tour as we zig-zagged through the Cactus Islands, around Speiden and back to Friday Harbor.

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

J Pod Returns... again... and with friends

Below: Photo by Christophe Paulbert from the Sea Lion this July.

J Pod reappeared off Victoria today after a short stint (one day) out west... only this time they came with friends.

We took off from Friday Harbor to make it to all three resident pods who were swimming towards on a flood tide from west of Race Rocks. We planned our course directly to the residents, just in case they slowed down, which they did once they got outside the city of Victoria. All together they were just about 17 miles away from us, one way. Our guests were happy to make it to them and learned about our residents, transients, general orca facts, the geology of the area, and sea birds along the way. (The long trip gave us plenty of time to answer questions and explore conversations we normally don't have time for.)

We believe we saw J14 and J30 when we came on scene, but they were a bit far away to confirm an ID. We also saw K11 plowing through the water on her way into the Haro Strait with the rest of the resident pods. K11 can be tricky to ID because she doesn't arch her back very often to expose her full saddle patch, but after looking at some guests' photos, her presence became obvious. We spent the beginning of the trip at a distance, watching the animals travel past the city, and were surprised when L85 (Mystery) and his cousin L22 (Spirit) showed up right near our boat! It appeared that some salmon were hiding near our boat and these two took advantage of that. We shut down, watching them herding and feeding on the salmon... they were either doing that or enjoying the lovely naked orca Captain Nancy painted on the bottom of our boat. LOL. We also had another close pass from L57 (Faith) as he travelled relatively alone in the group. The animals were very spread out and difficult to keep track of, but we had some really awesome looks at L Pod animals on their way back into our area. Hopefully they stick around a while.

On our way back to Friday Harbor, we stopped for a Harbour Porpoise calf who seemed to be disoriented as it leaped repeatedly out of the water. Longer observation did not reveal a predator or a larger porpoise. As far as we could tell, this animal was very small and all alone. There were reports of Ts near Constance Bank earlier in the day, but this animal was seen behaving strangely near Salmon Bank. Hopefully the little one is alright... as a guest put it, "It's probably just happy and wanting to jump around." Let's hope that's the case.

Megan Young, Naturalist

Wildlife abounds!

Today was a day filled with wildlife! We left the harbor going north....just off the Cactus Islands we had our first wildlife sighting with a mature Bald Eagle standing atop a rocky reef. As we circled around it took off perching itself in the same tree as its nest. Plenty of Harbor Seals bobbing through the waters and kelp beds. Between the Cactus Islands we decided to show off some Bull Kelp to the folks on board. We pulled some blades so that everyone could feel them and sample a nibble if they'd like! Substances such as carageenan and alginate are found in algaes such as kelp...these ingredients are commonly used in our food and body products ranging from ice cream to shampoo! Guests on board were also treated to a little tune on the "kelp trumpet". Ha!
As we rounded Stuart Island we saw some beautiful Dall's Porpoise, though they were not in much of a playful mood. On into Canadian waters we passed a male Stellar Sea Lion swimming in Haro Strait and found Harbor Seals hauled out on the reef just off Mandarte Island. The cormorants and gulls were again causing a ruckus on Mardarte, squawking non-stop! I've never seen so many cormorants in the water to the south, must have been over 100! Back to the USA, with a stop by Speiden. Harbor Porpoise and calves were a little daring playing in our wake for a few dives. Then homeward bound to Friday Harbor!

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

Check This Out

Check out these photos that our guest Gina Dawson took of our Residents yesterday!

Above: The RV Starlet, a Center for Whale Research Boat with a member of J Pod

Whale Watch Season is not over yet! Make your reservation for September today: fewer crowds, beautiful weather, same great crew! 1-800-450-6858.

Residents Return!

Summer has returned with the Resident Orcas! We encountered J pod off of Henry Island northbound crossing to Stuart Island this afternoon. Last night we heard a report the Residents were sighted inbound, from their 3 day stint out in the open Pacific Ocean. Nice to see these whales back! J pod was spread out moving at a steady pace, with J2 Granny and J1 Ruffles leading the group when we first met up with them. They were spread out in their subpods, or family lines....a little playful action with some breaching and tailslaps. Ruffles did a belly roll too! As they passed Turn Point, Stuart Island there were lots of spyhops as if to check on each other and make sure they were all going the right way!

Just off of Turn Point we also saw some Dall's Porpoise slicing through the water. Returned to Friday Harbor through John's Pass where the teepees of Camp Norwester are bare, just the frames...a sure sign the summer is winding down...although with today's great weather you'd never guess it to be fall! A great view of a mature Bald Eagle in a treetop on Speiden, whereas most of the other eagles have left to feast on dying salmon at the Skagit River. And lots of Sika Deer and Mouflan Sheep out grazing on the northeast end of Speiden Island! Just another beautiful day complete with sunshine and wildlife!

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

T Party

This summer has been amazing for transient orca encounters. We've gone over two weeks seeing orcas EVERY day... that's pretty incredible for this time of the year.

Today we met up with the T18s as they headed east in Boundary Pass near Saturna Island in Canada. There are four animals in this family group: T18, T19, and T19's two offspring T19B and T19C. T19B is a big boy for his age, thirteen, and we got some really great looks at him as he and his family made close passes to the shoreline. Most of their behavior appeared to be simply traveling because there were multiple seals in the area and they even buzzed past Boiling Reef on their was into the Strait of Georgia without any known or obvious kills.

We had a great time paralleling Saturna Island with them and then we stopped to check our Harbor Seals and Bald Eagles before heading back to Friday Harbor in time for the 5:00 Ferry.

***Lately we have been seeing the Transients. There are three commonly identified distinctive groups of orca cultures: Resident, Transient , and Off-shore. The main factors which set each species apart are - social behavior, physical appearance, preferred food, and vocal dialects. We most commonly see Southern Resident Orcas and Transient Orcas in the San Juan Islands, however some Offshore sightings have occured in the past but are incredibly rare.***

Megan Young, Naturalist

A Long Way Gone

We made it! We got to the orcas after 26 nautical miles ONE WAY nearly to Port Angeles, WA. We encountered the T46s and T30A just outside Port Angeles and boy was it an adventure! Not only did we travel far to get to them, but when we arrived on scene we witnessed a kill.

As said in previous blogs, the Transients are a different culture of orcas and eat marine mammals as opposed to fish, like our Residents. We believe the animal they pursued and ate together was a porpoise. Chatter on the radio was that there was a rib cage and lungs floating in the area and the research vessel on site was scooping them up for analysis. It would be interesting to learn the toxin levels in the animal they consumed because the Transients have some of the highest toxin levels exhibited in examined marine mammals. Learning about what affects lower animals on the food chain will give us better insight into how to help our declining orca population.

After the porpoise kill, the Ts took their time playing, spy hopping, and rolling around each other. They definently seemed content with their meal. Again, this was another long trip, but the orcas were well worth it. Today was a true exhibit of the circle of life: the death of a porpoise and a relatively new orca calf in T46B2.

Megan Young, Naturalist

T14 the lone male!

photo by guest Christophe Paubert in August 2008. T14 with Mt. Baker in the background.

Crossed into Canadian waters today, over towards Discovery Island where we had a great encounter with T14, the lone male. T14 is a transient orca, who's travel companion, his mom T13 is no longer alive. He is often seen cruising alone or with other transient pods. Today we had great views...he did shallow surface dives, followed by a longer dive. He would stay down for several minutes and we were never quite sure where he would pop up! As he got in towards the shore, just off the Discovery Island lighthouse T14 was playing in the kelp, going back and forth draping it on his tail. Very nice views!

On our way back in we were fortunate enough to see 3 Stellar Sea Lions hauled out on Whale Rocks. One of them was just enormous!! They really do remind me of bears with their thick necks and rusty colored fur! The Harbor Seals on the opposite side of Whale Rocks were dwarfed in comparison to the Stellars.

Just a beautiful September day on the water. Our guests were thrilled with the outcome of the afternoon!

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

T Time

Below: T20 and T21 taken by our guest Christophe Paulbert aboard the Sea Lion. Notice the female's triangular, pointy dorsal fin? That's typical for transients. Also take a look at those big solid saddle patches behind the dorsal, another common trait in "Ts."

August and September are usually spotty months for orca sightings, however, this year we've seen orcas nearly EVERY time on the water. If the residents are out of range, we seem to be finding groups of transients in our area.

Today, we had another encounter with the T30s, four orcas which include the mother T30 and her offspring: T30A (a male born in 1986), T30 B (born in 1993), and T30C (born in 2005). The family was cruising around near Dungeness Spit. For those of you not from the area, that's about a forty mile round trip from Friday Harbor aka it's far! We travelled a long way, but it was well worth it to spend some quality time with the T30s. The trusty Sea Lion did us well on this long voyage, her speed really came into play because we were one of the few boats that made it to them.

They were swimming in a tight group and being typical transients, silently traveling in an erratic pattern making long dives paired with multiple respiration's between. We got a really great look at the group as they popped up ahead of us at one point and allowed all our guests them clearly through the fog. They were all happy to have made it to this group and couldn't stop chatting about how wonderful they are.

On our way back in to Friday Harbor, we stopped at Whale Rocks to look at FIVE male Steller Sea Lions swimming through the kelp. These guys look like bears gliding through the water, especially when seen near the Harbour Seals.

All in all the trip was spectacular and the orcas proved worth the journey... as they always are. We still have spots available for tomorrow. Call now to reserve.

Megan Young, Naturalist

From a guest September 3, 2008

To whom it may concern,
I truly enjoyed my experience today on San Juan Safari. You have great employees and I really appreciate people who are passionate about their jobs. This crew is exceptional!
I will recommend your tour to others who inquire about whale watching tours.
Thank you,
Adeline Veniegas

We LOVE getting feedback.

It's T time!!

I have to start this blog with a little quote from Captain Pete: "Because these animals are wild, I'll be able to tell you exactly what we're going to see, when we get back to the dock."

And that is the kind of day it was. Although Cpt. Pete wasn't driving today (Mike was), we left with no reports of Orcas in the area. Then we heard it was confirmed the Resident Orcas were westbound for the Pacific Ocean. No J,K,L pods. Now we were focusing on scouting for Transient Orcas who are very unpredictable in their whereabouts. Next a report from another captain....Ts off to the south, somewhere off of Hein Bank. And away we went!

What an experience!! As it turns out, we met up with a group of 11-16 Transient Orcas. A "superpod" if you will, made up of the T18s, T46s, and T30s. I have never seen any of these animals before! From what I heard via other captains and what I saw...the 2 males were T19B (a 13 year old with a large dorsal that leans to the left) and T30A (22 year old male). (It may have just been T30 of his pod out there today...not sure.) These 2 males were cruising around separated from the rest of the group. Maybe a little male bonding time? The others included the T46 pod...and T46 is a grandmother again with new baby T46B2!! We all love the babies, especially T babies...which we don't often get to see. The pink/orange coloration is very evident on the underside and this little one is very active! Lots of spyhops and breaches. The group as a whole was very active, milling about and changing direction....no real place to be....a little logging as well.

We were also fortunate enough today to listen to the Transients vocalizing! I've never heard Transients "live". They sound incredibly different than the Residents. The calls were loud "MeeeOWWS" and a few reminded me of those classic "party blowout whistles" that kids use at birthday parties....you know the ones that have the paper that curls like a tongue...I wish we could have recorded what we heard.

The encounter got better, which is hard to believe, as we witnessed an Orca hunting-training session. A Common Murre (a diving bird) was sitting at the surface, the T46s and T18s pass beneath the bird. All of a sudden we see the Common Murre try to take off, as if it was being chased, much like a jumping baitfish would! It was hopping on the surface, as if tip-toeing on hot coals....but couldn't quite take off to fly. Then one Orca did a breach/cartwheel as it chased and landed right where the Murre had been. The bird was fine and swam off, lucky that it was not a pre-dinner snack. Probably a little training session for the younger calves and baby. Interestingly enough, the hydrophone was in and the Orcas had become somewhat silent compared to earlier....a little sneak attack on the bird?

I could have stayed out there all day enjoying this amazing display of behaviors with the Ts...but all good things must come to an end....at least for today anyway. :)

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist

Gender Roles

Below: Orca Cartwheel taken aboard the Sea Lion by our guest Christophe Paulbert in July of 2008.

Today was yet another amazing day with all three pods!


We met up with members of J, K, and L pods just east of East Point on Saturna Island. They were spread out between Saturna Island and the middle of Boundary Pass. The interesting thing about the groups, was that they were initially divided into male groups and female groups. We got a spectacular look at a group of calf-bearing females and young females all traveling together inshore. This group had around thirteen members and included mother-calf pairs of J19 (Sachi) and J41 (Eclipse), J16 (Slick) and her two youngest calves J42 and J36 (Alki), L72 (Racer) and her son L105 (Fluke), K14 (Lea) with her two youngest K36 (Yoda) and K42. This group also included J31 (Tsuchi) and J28 (Polaris). The group was mostly comprised of females and I was happy to see J28 in the mix... could she be being groomed for motherhood by the other females? I sure hope so. She's fifteen years old and at the age of having her first calf. Perhaps her presence in this group sugests something about her reproductive condition... or maybe it's just me being hopeful.


We also saw some of the boys hanging out together: J30 (Riptide), K26 (Lobo), J1 (Ruffles) and L57 (Faith). Towards the end of our encounter (around 3:30 pm) they seemed to join up in more mixed groups. We left them in the middle of Boundary Pass toward the east end of South Pender Island.


Our guests really enjoyed getting looks at all three pods and seeing so many "mammas and babies" together. We have another trip going out tomorrow at 1:00 pm and it's filling fast! Call for reservations: 800-450-6858. Happy Adventures!

Megan Young, Naturalist

Js Full Speed Ahead!!

Once again the Orcas were on the west side, northbound. Left the harbor going north, since they were covering some ground...(or should I say sea?) Anyway we caught up with the J pod just as they were crossing between Henry Island and Stuart Island. And were they on the move!! Very spread out today all across Haro Strait, with reports of the Ls to the south off of San Juan Island. Great looks of the ever popular Ruffles (J1), with an amazing look as he porpoised at the surface, full body shot! The Js slowed down every now and again...little foraging behavior, but for the most part they seemed as if they were in a rush to get north. It was incredible to see a group of about 4 Js just porpoise all at once, creating this wake behind them as they did so. Every time I see this, I'm in awe at how graceful, yet powerful they are!

It was another great day....this one quite interesting as well because of other Orca sightings in the area...the Js we were watching, L pod spread out northbound through Haro Strait and a group of Transients sighted off Victoria. Transient Orcas are the marine mammal hunting Orcas, while Residents hunt salmon. Also the Residents and Transients seem to steer clear of each other, with very little interaction documented between the two types. As we were leaving the scene, north of Turn Point, Stuart Island, the Js seemed to have chosen to go up through Swanson Channel on their way to Active Pass (which cuts through the Gulf Islands). At this point we also heard that other boats had sighted another pod of Transients on the other side of Active Pass.

With so many different Orcas moving through the area, I wonder if any Residents and Transients will cross paths....? Maybe not, but I'm anxious to hear more on all the sightings today.

-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist