Today was another one of those magical days, sunny skies, flat water, and family groups of Resident Orcas everywhere. When the M/V Sea Lion got on scene with the whales we saw numerous dorsal fins and spouts in the distance, and they were all coming our way! As it turned out, all of LPod was there traveling together in the Haro Strait. I quickly calculated the number of dorsal fins and surmised that it had to be LPod since they have the largest pod size and most male Orcas. Male Orca dorsal fins are each to recognize morphologically speaking; their dorsals are, on average, 5-6 feet tall!
It was truly amazing seeing all 36 whales surfacing and breathing together. They Orcas were "resting" a term given to the behavior of Orcas when they come close together, surface more often, and move at a slow pace. In fact, the degree of biological kinship between individual Orcas is thought to be correlated with the degree of respiratory synchronicity. In other words, the rhythm of breaths serves as a behavioral display of family unity; and even possibly social familiarity and affection among Orcas. It was very peaceful to see while listening to their vocalizations over the hydrophone.
I managed to narrow down who we were watching: L25-Ocean Sun (matriarch of L-Pod est. born 1928), L85- Mystery, L22- Spirit and L89- Solstice (Spirits son), L41- Mega, L77- Matia and her calf L119, L78- Gaia, and L92- Cruiser were among the many we saw! I can't wait to get back out there tomorrow!!!
Heather, Naturalist, M/V Sea Lino
San Juan Safaris