J Pod near Minor Island, June 3, 2007

Two members of J Pod swimming with Mount Baker in the background.

J11 "Blossom" born in 1972


"Orcas in the Mist", the picture above and below show the mist that covered the area when we first arrived on scene. It soon dissipated after arriving, which made for excellent viewing conditions as the sea was very calm.

J 34 "Double Stuff", born 1998

J16 "Slick" born in 1972 and her new baby J42 born early May, 2007.

J22 "Oreo" born in 1985.

All three of our trip today had a fantastic time with members of J Pod, thanks to the great work of Marine Mammal Researcher, Ron Bates, who received the first reports of the location of our southern Resident Orca Pod.

Our 12.30 tour set out and headed towards Iceberg but as we got closer we received news that at least part of J Pod had moved rapidly south and were now near Minor Island. So we headed into the fog and towards Minor Island, which made for a dramatic start to what we later realized was one of the best trips of the season so far! We eventually came through the fog just north of Minor Island and our timing could not have been better as J Pod had started to turn North and the Fog began to clear.

As the fog lifted several members of J Pod became very active and we observed multiple breaches, much to the delight of our guests. We also witnessed a couple of Cartwheels, tailslaps and some awesome Spyhops.

Our guests were thrilled when they saw J16 "Slick" and her new calf J42, who continues to be very playful. We also saw J22 "Oreo", J 26 "Mike", J30 "Riptide", J11 "Blossom", J 34 "Double Stuff" and J28 "Polaris".

It was a incredible trip and with out doubt one of the best this season so far.