This afternoon we left Friday Harbor with a report of orcas on the west side of SJI, as well as some way up north, heading south. In favor of avoiding choppy seas, we opted for the group that was further north. We stumbled across the whales a few miles north of East Point. There, we were able to identify Granny (J-2) and her group, as well as the J-19s. Everyone was delighted to see baby J-51 swimming close along Eclipse's (J-41) side. Young calves spend a lot of their time in their mother's slip stream, or the current generated by swimming (generally just behind her dorsal fin on either side.) This pod appeared to be mostly just traveling, and not hunting, as they surfaced often and did not change direction. Orcas can travel up to 100 miles per day. We were however, able to catch a glimpse of a few tail slaps and pectoral fin slaps at the surface. These behaviors are social, but no one knows exactly what they mean. Lucky for us, the pod was heading south all the way to East Point, so we were able to spend a good bit of time with them (since we were also headed south back to Friday Harbor). We ended the trip with a good Bald Eagle sighting, and a boat full of happy guests.
Naturalist Alex
M/V Sea Lion, San Juan Safaris