You know those moments in life that absolutely take your breath away? We certainly experienced some of those today on our two whale watch tours on the M/V Sea Lion. Transient killer whales, the mammal-eaters who we encounter frequently in the Salish Sea, were spotted near East Point in the Strait of Georgia, and we were lucky enought to witness three families meeting up and socializing. It was breathtaking, as they seemed to be moving in tight formations, greeting each other while tail-lobbing and porpoising through the sparkling blue waters off of Saturna Island.
What were these three families up to? Earlier in the day, they were reported to have been hunting, a crucial part in a day's itinerary for any orca. Perhaps, after some travel, these whales decided it was time to socialize and play - there may have even been a little flirting going on. This is also a very important part of a day for any killer whale, as they are extremely cooperative, playful, curious mammals. It's amazing to see the complexity in their social interactions. Naturalist Sarah captured several beautiful moments, with tails up in the air, beautiful synchronized breathing, and splashes from all three family units.
So who were we looking at today? The T46's and T65A's were seen traveling together before meeting up with the T18's, and we were able to arrive on scene as all three pods were swimming together. How special to see so many transient whales interatcting, when they usually seem to prefer traveling in smaller pods. It's also wonderful to see so much surface activitiy from these whales, since they are usually quite cryptic at the surface and have been known to be less surface-active.
Passengers onboard were thrilled to see so many wonderful behaviors - what a treat of a day! Transients are an amazing part of our marine ecosystem out here, and when we get to see them playing and interacting with each other in such a complex manner, it really is breathtaking.