Porpoises near Lime Kiln Lighthouse, May 22 2007.

This picture shows several Dalls Porpoises with Lime Kiln Lighthouse in the background. The waters around Lime Kiln attract many marine mammals including Orcas and Porpoises.


The Lighthouse at Lime Kiln is a beautiful structure and is located on the west side of San Juan Island, the largest island of the archipelago. The lighthouse gets its name from the limekilns built nearby in the 1860s. Their remains can still be seen today, just north of the lighthouse. In 1985, the lighthouse and surrounding sea were dedicated as a whale sanctuary and research station for marine mammal scientists. Under the direction of the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, scientists based in the lighthouse track the movements and behavior of the orca whales, which reside in the area. Three webcams and a hydrophone are located at the lighthouse to facilitate remote tracking of the whales.

In this picture you can see clearly the typical white dorsal fin of a Dalls Porpoise. Compare that to the picture below of a Harbor Porpoise, with its back that is very dark gray or dark brown, shading to a lighter gray patch on the sides; its belly is white. Its flippers are also dark in color, and a dark stripe extends from the flipper to the eye.

One of the smallest of the oceanic cetaceans, the harbor porpoise is shy and elusive, not inclined to approach boats and bow ride, as many other species of dolphins and porpoises do. On calm days these animals can be easily detected by the loud puffing sound they make as they surface to breathe. Because of its inshore habitat, it is one of the best-studied small cetaceans, and also one of the most frequently hunted by predators such as Transient Orcas. Maximum length is 6 feet (1.9 m) with a possible maximum weight of 200 pounds (90 kg). Most harbor porpoises are much smaller, and do not exceed 5 feet (1.5 m) or weigh more then 130 pounds (60 kg). The females are slightly larger than the males.

This picture is of a Hybrid Porpoise, which is a result of Dalls Porpoises and Harbor Porpoises mating and producing this hybrid species. We are not sure if this phenomenon is particular to Porpoises found only in the waters around Vancouver Island and the San Juan Islands, but it is fascinating.

In the picture below we can see a Dalls Porpoise and Hybrid swimming together near Lime Kiln Lighthouse.

We set out with a very friendly and fun group of Spanish Tourist this morning aboard Supercat and came across several Porpoises near the West coast of the San Juan Islands. During this encounter we observed Dalls Porpoises, Harbor Porpoises and Hybrid Porpoises. A number of the Dalls Porpoises decided to ride the wave created by Supercats bow, which is called bow riding and is seen often with Dalls Porpoises. Our Spanish guests loved watching these speedy mammals fly along in front of our bow. They were also delighted to hear the facts about the three different species of Porpoise we encountered during our trip.