I saw my first Dall’s porpoises of the season today. The most playful of our two porpoise species, Dall’s porpoises are known to go out of their way to surf the bow wake of boats. Despite this reputation and our best efforts to entice them, the porpoises we encountered were uninterested in our wave. Their black and white markings can often fool the uninitiated observer into believing they saw orcas. But these meaty cetaceans are a mere 6.5 feet as adults. When first born, an orca calf is about the same size.
That brings me to our second highlight of the day! Near Sidney Island, British Columbia we caught up with a family of 5 transients, which included a miniature orca that stuck to its mother’s side like glue. At one point, unbeknownst to the whale watching boats, the family made an unexpected course change and popped up right alongside our boat. All 5 killer whales surfaced in synchrony as they continued on their northerly course.
Andrew, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris