After being in the rain for the past two trips Captain Mike, Sarah and I left the dock today with sunny skies over head. But, what was even better then the sunshine were the orcas that were reported to be right in our "back yard". After motoring for about ten minutes we saw blows in the distance in-between Lopez and Shaw island, a sight that was welcomed by our guests. I quickly identified the small group as our five transient orcas known as the T065A group. The T065A's just happen to be my favorite group of transients! They have the cutest little calf, T065A-5, who always seems to propel itself out of the water in order to keep up with mom and it's three-year-old sibling. In doing so we're all able to see it's pink/orange baby skin. This pink/orange coloring is a result of an extremely thin blubber layer that it's born with. As soon as the calf fattens up on it's mothers milk it's blubber layer will grow, and the pigment will turn white. We watched as T065A (AKA-Mom) traveled very closely with her two youngest calves, while the other two older siblings (T065A-2 and T065A-3) trailed about 40 yards behind them. Naturalist around the Salish Sea, including myself, are starting to call these guys our "Resident Transients" since we've see them almost every every week since April! I love spending time with them and getting to know their individual personalities! What a great day!
Naturalist, Heather, M/V Sea Lion
San Juan Safaris