Highlights of Orca sightings during our trips in May!

"Granny" J2, hard to believe this graceful lady is over 90!

The newest member of J Pod, "J42"!!

"Ruffles" J1 Showing off for our passengers:)

Here are just a few pictures showing some of the amazing Orca sightings we have experienced in May. The highlight of the month was when it was discovered there was a new member of J Pod, "J42" who was born 3 weeks ago. This young Orca has an excellent chance of survival as her mother J16 "Slick" has given birth to three other babies and so far all her off-spring have survived.

Members of J Pod near San Juan Islands.

This picture was taken by Skipper "Trev Neufeld" of J Pod off the San Juan Islands.

Here is another picture of members of J Pod near the San Juan Islands. I want to see which of my Marine Naturalist friends will be the first to correctly identify the Orca in the foreground. You may post your comments below.

Mother ("Granny", J-2) and Son ("Ruffles", J-1)

Some days it's just nice to go out for a swim with your Mum.

J Pod near Andrew's Bay again, May 26th 2007

As we entered the harbor at the end of our trip we were treated to this spectaculor sunset, the perfect end to another incredible day on the water!

With the kayaker in the background, this picture provides a great indicator of how large Orcas can get, especially male Orcas who can have dorsal fins as tall as 6 foot, can reach up to 30 feet long and can weight 9-10 Tons!

For the second evening in a row our two boats, Supercat and Fast cat ventured out in the evening and once again we caught up with Jpod near Andrew's Bay (nope it isn't named after me or belong to me, I wish).

This evening we had all of J Pod in close formation as they looked like they were in resting mode. When Orcas take a rest they form a close group and then do a series of shallow dives before making one long deep dive. It makes for a great photo opportunities as there dive patterns are more predictable and the tight grouping make for awesome photos, I think I took over 150 this evening!

Our guests were delighted to see the new baby J42 and her mother J16 "Slick" as well as other popular members of J Pod including J1 "Ruffles" and J2 "Granny". It was a beautiful evening to be on the water.

Afternoon trip with some fellow Brits to see Jpod, May 26 2007

We spotted this Bald Eagle as we passed by the Chain Islands near Oak Bay on the way home.

This picture shows the spray kicked up after a breach by one of J Pod.

Here a member of J Pod does a cart Wheel, always an exciting action to watch.

This afternoon we set out towards the San Juan Islands with a group of guests from Great Britain. A number of the guests actually live a stones throw from where I was born, Rochdale, just goes to show what a small world it really is.

When we caught up with J Pod we found they were spread out over a large area but they did not disappoint as the smashing folks from Great Britain were lucky to see a couple of Breaches, a Spy hop and a Cartwheel. You don't see too many of those back in Rochale:)

It was a cracking trip!

J Pod near Andrew's Bay, San Juan Island, May 25th 2007

This evening both Supercat and Fastcat headed towards San Juan Islands with our guests and caught up with J Pod near Andrew's Bay. It was a calm evening and our guests enjoyed watching the various members of J Pod. One couple commented on just how beautiful the coastline and scenery is with the Olympic Mountains, the Straits of Juan De Fuca and Haro, plus Mount Baker in the distance, and I have to agree it is a very special place.

JPod East of Sheringham, May 24th 2007

The above two pictures of JPod were taken East of Sheringham by Marine Mammal researcher, Ron Bates.