Thursday, July 31, 2008

Resident Orcas and Minke Whales! July 31st, 2008.














The pictures above were taken by Ron Bates, MMRG.

July has been a fantastic month for Whale watching and the final day of the month proved to be another hugely successful one:) Not only did we have sightings of Minke Whales today but also members of two of the resident Orca pods, J & K Pod. Although the weather was a little damp today, it did not dampen the spirits of our passengers who braved the inclement weather and were rewarded! Besides, our fully heated enclosed cabin, free coffee and hot chocolate and our cruiser jackets ensured everyone kept nice and warm throughout todays excursions. That is the Five Star advantage:)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Resident Orcas return! July 30th, 2008.










After a short trip out west yesterday, the Souther Resident Orcas returned to our area today and we encountered them all day along the West coast of San Juan Island. Here are a few pictures from todays tours taken by Ron Bates, MMRG.

Minke Whales and Humpback Whale. July 29th, 2008

Humpback Whale.
Minke Whale



The pictures above and below show a Minke Whale feeding in on a Bait Ball (small fish, possibly Sand Lance, that are near the surface). 
The four pictures above were taken by Ron Bates, MMRG.

Today in the Strait of Juan De Fuca our vessels found a number of Baleen Whales including 5 Minke Whales and a Humpback Whale. The Minke Whales were discovered near Hein Bank, and at least one of the Minkes could be seen lunge feeding on a Bait Ball. Minke Whale are often found near Hein Bank as this relatively shallow area (60 ft compared to between 300-100 ft for most of the strait) as large amounts of small bait fish such as Sand Lance are concentrated in this area. Minke Whales can reach over 33 ft long, weigh over 10 tons and are the second smallest of the Baleen family of Cetaceans. Due to their streamline shape Minke Whales can reach speeds of 15-20 kts.

A Humpback Whale was also sighted in the area near Port Angeles and was possibly attracted to the area by a large shoal of Krill.

During our tours today we also encountered Dalls and Harbor Porpoise, Sealions, many Harbor Seals & Pups, plus a number of Bald Eagles. It was a fantastic day to witness the incredible diversity of Marine Mammals and wildlife that can be found in the local area.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Five for Five Star!!! July 28th, 2008.


T14 was doing a lot of kelping (playing with the bull kelp).




This picture shows just how tall the male dorsal fin of an Orca is and they can reach heights of up to 6 feet!!!!

T14 "Pender", the bolts from the radio collar can be clearly seen in this picture.

Dalls Porpoise above and Harbor Porpoise below.






The six pictures above are of the Minke Whale, found near Baumont Shoals by Fastcat:)







A Fin Whale, such as pictured above and below, was sighted in the Strait of Juan De Fuca today. For more information on these large cetaceans, which are the 2nd largest whale in the world, visit http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/finwhl.htm





Sherringham Lighthouse.

Today Five Star Whale Watching and our passengers were able to see five different species of Cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoise), plus 4 different species of Pinnipeds (Seals and Sealions).

Our first encounter was with Jpod near Sherringham Point as the Pod of Orcas were moving west. Orcas are the largest member of the Dolphin family of Cetaceans. On our way to Jpod we heard that a Fin whale may have been sighted and sure enough on our way back to Victoria the crew of Fastcat caught a brief glimpse of this large of the Baleen Whale!

At Race Rocks we were fortunate enough to see 4 different species of Pinnipeds as we encountered harbor Seals, 3 Northern Elephant Seals, 3 Steller Sealions and a lone California Sealion:)

In the afternoon we travelled the short distance to Chatham Island to watch T14 "Pender" in search of Harbor Seals. Whilst on scene we watched Pender make a possible kill near Chatham Island and then as he made his way towards 10 mile point he repeatedly slapped his tail and even tail fluked, which was amazing behavior to observe from a Transient Orca.

We then headed into Haro Strait in search of Porpoise and not only did we find both Harbor and Dalls Porpoise, but a Minke Whale as well:) The Minke Whale, the 2nd smallest of the Baleen Whales (filter feeders that use Baleen plates to filter their food) was surfacing often and seemed very relaxed as we sat watching for several minutes. With our engines off we could even hear the whale every time it surfaced, which was very exciting.

On our way home we stopped in at the Chain Islets to see the Harbor Seal pups and also saw a number of Seagull Chicks. It was a nice way to finish what had been an magnificent day on the water!