Today we visited five Orca Whales on the western side of D’Arcy Island (48°04.14N, 123°18.21W). As we approached the scene we could immediately tell they were Transients based on their stealthy behavior. Once they went under no one knew when, or where, they would come up next. After continually changing paths they unexpectedly surfaced right towards our boat providing us with a great amount of excitement and the most amazing view! There was one LARGE male, his dorsal fin standing almost 6 feet tall, along with two small calves, and two females.
At first, it appeared they were feeding judging by the swarm of gulls hovering over their tracks, waiting to dive bomb any left overs, but after a while, it seemed as though they went back on the hunt as they chose one direction and stuck to it. They eventually gained speed and headed south, surfacing multiple times for shorter dives. We then took a loop around Mandarte and Spieden Island and headed home.
Another great day out on the water!
Naturalist Tara, San Juan Safaris