Friday, April 24, 2015

April 16th - Transient Orcas

April 16th – Transient Orcas in Upright Channel

Transient Orcas near San Juan Island
Transient Orcas
Today we had a wonderful encounter with a large number of Transient Orcas in Upright Channel. The Orcas included the TO65A’s and the TO75B’s including a brand new baby Orca, TO75B2:) As we arrived on scene one of the Orcas did a head stand and waved its tail flukes high in the air! The Orcas then grouped together and moved through the channel towards San Juan Channel. We got some great views of the new baby, TO75B2 as they moved towards Friday Harbor in search of Harbor Seals.
Apart from the Orcas we also saw a large number of Sea Lions at Whale Rocks as well as a Bald Eagle. We also saw some Harbor Porpoise and Harbor Seals. It was a beautiful day on the water!
To see more images from this trip please click on the link below;
April 16th – Transient Orcas

April 15th - Jpod

April 15th – Jpod & the Babies at Middle Bank!

Jpod & the Babies
Jpod & the Babies
Today we had a wonderful encounter with Jpod & the Babies near Middle Bank. All the pod was together including all 3 Babies, J50, J51 & J52, and all looked happy & healthy! The Orcas were in a very sleepy mode and could not seem to decide which direction to travel. They seemed to be doing large circles around Middle Bank and we hardly traveled at all the entire time we were with the Orcas. It was especially exciting for our enthusiastic passengers to see the new Babies:)
Apart from the Orcas we also saw Harbor Porpoise, Harbor Seals and Bald Eagles. Sun shine, calm seas, fun people, an encounter with Jpod & the Babies, what more could you ask for!
To see more images from this amazing day click on the link below;
April 15 – Jpod and the babies!

April 14th - Transient Orcas

April 14th – Transient Orcas (TO49A’s) near James Island!

Transient Orcas
Transient Orcas
Today was another epic day when we found Transient Orcas, the TO49A’s, at the south end of James Island :) There had been a report of Orcas heard on the hydrophones at Orcasound early in the morning but despite a few boats searching there had been no sight of them. We headed out and decided to concentrate our search around Darcy, Sidney, & Mandarte Island, playing a hunch that the Orcas may be somewhere in that area. Thankfully our hunch paid off as we found the T49A’s at the South East corner of James Island :) The Orcas were in a very sleepy mood slowly moving north up Sidney Channel. At one stage we even saw a Sea Lion swim past the sleepy Orcas who obviously were not hungry, lucky for the Sea Lions! The Orcas continued north following the eastern shoreline of James Island. Our guests were so thrilled that we had found these Transient Orcas and so were we.
We also encountered Steller Sea Lions (the largest Sea Lions in the world) at Kelp Reef. We also visited the Bird Colony at Mandarte Island as well as Harbor Seals at the Chain Islets. On our way home the wind had picked up and our guests enjoyed a lively ride across the waterfront where we got to witness some high flying Kite Boarders!
You can see more images from this epic trip by clicking on the link below;
April 14th – Transient Orcas near James Island

April 12th - Bigg's Killer Whales

April 12th – Bigg’s Killer Whales (TO49A’s) near Orcas & Shaw Island!

Bigg's Killer Whales
Bigg’s Killer Whales

Today we traveled deep into the San Juan Island to have a wonderful encounter with Bigg’s Killer Whales, the TO49A’s. These Orcas had been spotted East of Shaw Island heading west in the morning but made very little progress throughout the day. By the time we headed out in the afternoon they were still a long way from Victoria but we were determined to show our passengers these Apex Predators. We arrived on scene between Orcas & Shaw Island and the Orcas looked like they were finishing up a kill, probably of a Harbor Seal, their favorite prey. They then began to move West along the shoreline of Shaw Island.
Bigg’s Killer Whales are another name for Transient Orcas and the name is on honour of Dr. Michael Bigg. Dr. Michael A. Bigg (1939–1990) was a Canadian Marine Biologist who is recognized as the founder of modern research on Killer Whales (Orcas). With his colleagues, he developed new techniques for studying killer whales and conducted the first population census of Orcas in the Pacific Northwest. Bigg’s work in wildlife photo-identification enabled the longitudinal study of individual killer whales, their travel patterns, and their social relationships in the wild, and revolutionized the study of Cetaceans.
Apart from the Orcas we also encountered Sea Lions at Kelp Reef and Harbor Seals at the Chain Islets. We also saw a large number of Bald Eagles at the Chain Islets.
It was a beautiful day on the water with a great group of enthusiastic passengers that were thrilled to see the Orcas and other wildlife!
You can see more images from this tour by clicking on the link below;
April 12th – Bigg’s Killer Whales

April 9th - Transient Orcas

April 9th – Transient Orcas T049A’s, south of Victoria!

Bigg's Killer Whales
Transient Orcas
We headed out today with our vessel full of wonderful excited guests and what an amazing day it turned out to be with Transient Orcas south of Victoria! The Orcas were identified as the TO49A’s and we caught up with near Constance Bank. When we first arrived on scene the Orcas were moving swiftly to the south west and then one youngster began to play with an older brother, they seemed to be having lots of fun:)
As the Transient Orcas were moving west, we decided to take the opportunity to visit Race Rocks Ecological Reserve where we saw a large number of Harbor Seals, Northern Elephant Seals and at least 3 Bald Eagles. We then headed a little further west and saw a large number of Dall’s Porpoise, that then started to bow ride our boat (they love the duel hulls of our Expedition Catamaran), which is always a thrill for our guests.
We then headed back East towards Race Rocks where we encountered the TO49A’s just south of the Ecological Reserve. Once again we witnessed the youngster playing with the older brother and got to see several breaches, tail slaps and Spyhops! The Orcas continued to travel west at about 8 knots so we left them and headed over to look at the Sea Lions at Race Rocks before heading home.
With calm seas, sunny skies and so much marine life to enjoy, this was one very memorable day! Please don’t forget to visit our Trip Advisor Page and leave some kind comments about this trip:)
You can see more images from today’s tour by clicking on the following link:
April 9 – Transient Orcas

Friday, April 10, 2015

April 6th - Transient Orcas in Rosario!

April 6th – Transient Orcas in Rosario!


Transient Orcas
Transient Orcas
Today we went the extra mile, or two, to encounter Transient Orcas in Rosario Strait! The  Orcas were the TO49A’s and TO123’s. As we watched them in the picturesque setting of Rosario Strait, the Orcas zigged & zagged as they hunted for Harbor Seals or Harbor Porpoise, their favorite prey. We also encountered several Sea Lions at Whale Rocks. Near Beaumont Shoals we also saw over a hundred Harbor Porpoise. We also saw Harbor Seals at the Chain Islets and Bald Eagles. It was another beautiful day!
To see more images from today’s tour click on the link below;
April 6th – Transient Orcas

April 4th - Transient Orcas near Henry Island!

April 4th – Transient Orcas near Henry Island!


Transient Orcas
Transient Orcas
For our second trip of the season we encountered Transient Orcas, the TO65A’s near Henry Island. This particular group of Orcas had not been seen in the area for a while so it was great to see them again :) The Orcas hugged the shoreline as they circled around Henry Island and then headed over to Spieden Island. Apart from the Orcas we also got to see several large Stellar Sea Lions at Kelp Reef as well as Harbor Seals and Bald Eagles at the Chain Islets. It was another wonderful day!
April 4th – Transient Orcas

April 3rd - First trip of the season with Jpod!


April 3rd – First trip of the season with Jpod!

Jpod
Jpod
We could have not asked for a better way to start the 2015 season than with Jpod thrilling our boat full of excited passenger! The first inkling we had that Jpod was in area was when our Captain Trev and Ron Bates (the Guru) heard  calls on Lime Kiln hydrophone. Jpod had been seen passing Nanaimo on Thursday evening and then were picked up by a boat north of Beaumont Shoals.
By the time we headed out the Orcas had moved further south and we encountered south of Seabird Point. We had all of Jpod including the new Babies:) It was a wonderful trip as the pod closed formation as they switched to sleeping mode. They were fighting a strong current so although they were pointing west they hardly moved the entire time we were out.
Apart from the wonderful encounter with Jpod we also saw Sea Lions, Harbor Seals and many Bald Eagles. What a wonderful way to start the 2015 Whale Watching season!
You can see more images from this amazing trip by clicking on the link below;
Resident Orcas April 3rd

Another New Baby in Jpod, J52!

Another New Jpod Baby J52!


J52 Jpod Baby
Jpod baby J52
Image of the new Jpod Baby J52, taken by Jeanne Hyde
ANOTHER JPOD BABY J52!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Harris, Executive Director,
Pacific Whale Watch Association / (206) 465-6692
March 30, 2015
NEW PHOTOS AVAILABLE!
Pacific Whale Watch Association Crews Report Another Birth Today in Southern Resident Community, Its Fourth Calf in Three Months – Confirmed by Center for Whale Research
Newborn J-Pod calf seen today near Active Pass, BC.
The baby boom continues in Orca Country.
Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) crews report today a new calf spotted among the endangered Southern Resident Community, the population’s fourth baby in three months. The birth was confirmed tonight by the Center for Whale Research.
Naturalist/researcher Jeanne Hyde was onboard with Capt. Spencer Domico of Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching shortly after noon today watching the subgroup J16s with their three-month-old calf J50 off Galiano Island, BC.
“We were assuming we had only the J16s,” recounts Hyde. “And as they passed in front of the boat I saw a small calf surfacing next to J16 and said, ‘there’s the baby.’ But then J50 surfaced behind all the rest. That’s when I told Spencer, ‘I think there are two calves!”
The crew noted heavy fetal folds on the baby, which indicates that it was newborn.
Also out today with the newest addition to the Southern Resident Community were Capt. Jim Maya of Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching on San Juan Island, and Capt. Mark Malleson of Prince of Whales of Whales Whale Watching in Victoria.
“J-Pod is certainly doing all it can to rebuild the ranks,” explains Michael Harris, Executive Director of the PWWA, which represents 29 whale watch operators in Washington and British Columbia taking out about a half-million passengers a year. “The Southern Residents are a long way from being out of the woods, these calves too, but this is great news. We’re going to keep a careful watch on these babies and our fingers crossed – and of course continue to do everything we can to rebuild these salmon runs and feed these whales. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s pretty clear the efforts PWWA and so many other groups are undertaking on both sides of the border on salmon recovery is taking us in the right direction. Let’s hope this baby boom means these endangered population has finally turned the corner.”
This latest addition would bring the Southern Residents to 81 individuals, with its 82nd member, the L-Pod whale Lolita, now in Miami Seaquarium.
HOW TO HELP: For all those who want to help the whales, become a Member of The Center for Whale Research! The Pacific Whale Watch Association is proud to be a longtime supporter of Ken Balcomb and his team. Help them help the whales. www.whaleresearch.com