Today we observed another pair of Transient Orcas in the Straight of Juan de Fuca, off Victoria. Spotting two giant, black triangles from quite a distance, we confirmed that we were dealing with two mature bulls. When male orcas come into puberty in their early teens, they are known as “sprouters,” as their dorsal fin begins growing dramatically from about 3 feet to 5, even 6 feet! At first they exhibited the typical erratic diving behavior of hunting Transients, and then settled in to what appeared to be a resting pattern of slow movement, synchronized surfacing, and predictably-timed dives. These animals are believed to be T93 and T97 and were last seen traveling together near Kelp Reef in November 2012. When we left the Killer Whales they were headed southeast, affording our guests some great photos of the beasts against the backdrop of the snow-capped Olympic range.
Naturalist Andrew, San Juan Safaris