*I’d like to start this blog off by apologizing for my overzealous and excessive use of “amazing,” “incredible,” and “awesome” but after a day out on the water like today, no words can truly do it justice.
What an AMAZING day it was today! We had such an incredible trip!!! We started off the day with reports of orcas in Rosario Strait (on the East side of Orcas Island). We headed through Thatcher Pass and continued over to Rosario Strait but were so excited when we met up with J- Pod!
When we arrived on scene we approached slowly, and got some great looks at these orcas from afar, but as we spent more time with these incredible creatures, they continued to get closer and more friendly. We got some amazing looks at these beautiful creatures but NOTHING could have prepared us for the what was about to happen! …
As we were leaving the scene, already incredibly excited for what had just occurred, we noticed orcas right off out Starboard! Captain Pete quickly killed the engine, and these orcas treated us to some amazing spyhops, tail lobs, splashes and other amazing, absolutely incredible looks! Towards the end of this fantastic experience one even swam under us!
Blackberry, one of the males with an absolutely awesome dorsal fin, allowed us some amazing views of himself and his saddle patch- which made for some amazing photo ops!
Everyone on the boat was in awe of these incredible animals! Today we were able to get a truly amazing look at how intelligent, social and awesome these animals truly are! There wasn’t a moment during this trip were we weren’t all incredible amazed by what was happening! We were able to have important conversations about the environment and how the lack of salmon is proving detrimental to the Resident Orca population, while also having a beautiful interaction with these animals!
This was truly the trip of a lifetime for so many! I know I personally haven’t seen anything ever like this! It was truly a one of a kind day, and I am so happy to have shared it with such an amazing group of people, and some amazing Resident orcas!
Until Next Time,
Naturalist Alexandria