JUNE 27, 2009 EVENING J pod travelling up the west side of San Juan Island

This evening's Five Star Charter's whale watching trip on Fastcat left the Victoria Harbour at 1840 with a group of guests on the last night of their Alaska cruise. Once we cleared the Harbour we headed east through the Strait of Juan De Fuca and across the Victoria waterfront to San Juan Island, Washington State in Haro Strait. We were on our way to a report of killer whales (Orcinus orca) off Eagle Point, San Juan Island. Shortly after we arrived one of the passengers spotted some fins and blows and we slowed down to watch the group of whales travelling in a northerly direction just offshore of the island.

This group of whales was one of our Resident 'fish eating' killer whale pods, J pod, and they were travelling together, as they often do, in their matrilineal groups (Center For Whale Research ID and Matrlines, Whale Museum Orca Adoption). We were very fortunate because we saw members of most of the matrilines including the Slick's family, the J16's; Samish's family, the J14's; Oreo's family the J22's and the group of oldest whales in the community including J1, Ruffles (estimated to be 58 years old), J2, Granny (est. to be as old as 98) and J8, Speiden (est. to be in her 70s). To top off the nice sighting of most of the family they were very surface active and we saw lots of breaches and tail lobs!

J16, Slick (estimated to be 37 years old) and J36, Alki (10 years)

J33, Alki, the 13 year old son of Slick and big brother to J36

Above 2 photos: J1, Ruffles, the oldest male in the Southern Resident killer whale community (est. 58 years)

Breaching male! (pectoral fins are larger than a females would be)

J30, Riptide, a sprouting (maturing) male estimated to be 14 years old

Five Star Charter's other vessel, Supercat, heading towards the bad weather

Above 2 photos: J1's right side and a good look at his eye patch which can be used for ID too

J22, Oreo, a 24 year old female

J34, Doublestuff, the 11 year old son of J22

J38, Cookie, dragging kelp across his back, he`s the 6 year old son of J22

J19, Schachi, a 30 year old female

J8, Speiden, a female estimated to be in her 70s!

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JUNE 26, 2009 EVENING K12s seen near Salmon Bank

This evening we departed on Five Star Charter's Supercat at 1830, headed from the Victoria Harbour, into the Strait of Juan De Fuca toward San Juan Island, Washington in Haro Strait. The evening started out sunny and quite windy but by the time we reached South Beach off the south end of San Juan Island the sea state had come down and it turned into a lovely evening. We had a great sighting of the K12 matrilineal members of K pod, one of the Southern Resident 'fish eating' killer whale (Orcinus orca) pods (Center For Whale Research ID and matrilines, Friday Harbour Whale Museum Orca Adoption.

We had our best look at K22, Sekiu, a 22 year old female who was travelling with her mom K12, Sequim (~37 years old) and K12s fourth (K22's younger sibling) K37, Rainshadow. They were milling and slowly making their way north along the west side of San Juan Island. After a nice sighting we left them around 2024, off Eagle Point, San Juan Island, and headed back to the Victoria Harbour.

Captain Bill at the helm of the Supercat

Above 2 photos: cruise ship passengers keeping warm on the way to the whales

K22, Sekiu, doing an inverted tail lob!

Above 3 photos: K22, Sekiu, a 22 year old female

K12, Sequim, an ~37 year old female and the mother of K22

JUNE 25, 2009 J pod in Haro Strait; K pod cross Victoria Waterfront

Today Five Star Charters had a morning and an afternoon trip. We departed the Victoria Harbour in the Supercat at 1000 and headed out into the cloud and drizzle. We started by making our way east across the Victoria waterfront towards San Juan Island in Haro Strait. Once we reached Haro Strait we headed towards the north end of San Juan Island, Washington and continued on to Stuart Island where we heard there was a report of some killer whales (Orcinus orca) coming our way.

We arrived to Stuart Island, also in Washington State, around 1100 and soon spotted the fins and blows of the group of killer whales. Once they reached where we had stopped (in some pretty lumpy water!) I noticed the oldest male member of our Southern Resident killer whales community J1, Ruffles (estimated to be in his late 50s). I could tell it was him because his dorsal fin is twice as tall and straighter than the females in the pod and quite wavey (hence the name Ruffles!). I identifed some other members of J pod, including the J17s, as they travelled quickly, southbound, towards San Juan Island (Center For Whale Research ID pages and Matrilines, Friday Harbour Whale Museum Orca Adoption.

J17, Princess Angeline, is a 32 year old female with two daughters, J28, Polaris (16 years old) and J35, Tahlequah (11 years old). She also had one of the newest calves in J pod, J44, who is about 6 months old. In addition to the J17s we also saw J31, Tsuchi (14 years) who is from the J11 matriline (J11 is deceased since 2008) travelling with J28 who is a couple of years older than her. After a watching J pod for about an hour we left them just off Henry Island at around 1200.

J17, Princess Angeline, a 32 year old female and the mother of one of the the newest calves in J pod (J44, 6 moths old now)

J35, Tahlequah, J17's daughter and the older (11 yr old) sister of the new calf, J44

Above 2 photos: J31, Tsuchi, 14 year old daughter of J11 (deceased, 2008) travelling with J28, Polaris, J17's other daughter (16 years)

J17, Princess Angeline

And from the afternoon trip...

We departed at around 1400 and after hearing that another group of killer whales was coming in from west of Victoria we headed south out of the Victoria Harbour towards Race Rocks Marine Protected Area. Shortly after we arrived at Race Passage we spotted more fins and blows and after getting a better look we saw members of K pod, another one of the Southern Resident Killer Whale pods, travelling east towards Vcitora. During this sighting I was able to identify members of the K13s and K12s.

The K13s include K13, Skagit, a 37 year old female and her offspring including: K20, Spock, her 23 year old daughter; K25, Scoter, her 18 year old son; K27, Deadhead, her 13 year old daughter; and K34, Cali, her 8 year old son. K13s grandson, K38, Comet also travels with this matrilineal family group. The K14s include K14, Lea, a 32 year old female and her offspring K26, Lobo, her 16 year old son; K36, Yoda, who is 6 years old and K42, her calf from last year.

K37, Rainshadow, the 6 year old son of K12, Sequim, a ~37 year old female

K12, Sequim

K14, Lea (32 years) travelling with her offspring K36, Yoda (6 years old) and K26, Lobo (16 years old)

JUNE 23, 2009 AFTERNOON J and K pods northbound in Haro Strait

This afternoon Five Star Charter's Fastcat departed at 1400 from the Victoria Harbour and into the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We travelled east across the Victoria waterfront stopping first at the Chain Islands off of Oak Bay were we there was a Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) sitting on the Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) nests at Great Chain and many harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the kelp and hauled out on the rocks.

From the Chain Islands we continued on past Seabird Pt at the south end of Discovery Island and Beaumont Shoals (where we spotted a few harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena) and then on to San Juan Island, Washington. We arrived at the west side of San Juan Island at around 1500 and soon spotted some killer whales (Orcinus orca) travelling slowly just offshore. After looking at some of the individuals in the group I was able to identify members from both J and K pods (Center For Whale Research ID pages). During our sighting J and K pods travelled north and even did some breaches and spyhops for us! We left them at Henry Island just north of San Juan Island still making their way north at around 1600.

Harbour seal in the bull kelp at Chain Islands

Breach!

Breach splash!

J16, Slick, a ~37 year old female and her youngest J42, Echo (2 years old)

J26, Mike, an 18 year old male

Spyhop!

JUNE 23, 2009 K pod (travelling with J pod) off Victoria waterfront

It was yet another beautiful sunny day when we departed Victoria Harbour on Five Star Charter’s Fastcat and headed into the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We headed almost due south out of the harbour to see what we could find in the middle of the Strait; both Resident ‘mammal eating’ and Transient ‘mammal eating’ killer whales (Orcinus orca) travel through these waters and we have also had increased sightings of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) over the past decade in this area. We travelled as far as Constance Bank, where the cargo and container ships will wait to pick up or drop off pilots and wait until they head to Vancouver, and then continued on to Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.

Although most of the sea lions have left Race Rocks, to go to their breeding colonies in California and Alaska, we had a nice sighting of 2 Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) swimming in the kelp just off the rocks. We also saw quite a few harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) hauled out...and we had a quick scan for seal pups because we are almost in the pupping season for the harbour seals.

From Race Rocks we travelled through Race Passage back towards the Victoria harbour as there was a report of Resident 'fish eating' killer whales travelling east just off of William Head (also known as Club Fed!). How nice it was to have the whales so close to the harbour...when we arrived we saw members of K pod and some of the other boats told us they were watching some members of J pod (Center for Whale Research ID pages, Whale Museum Orca Adoption). We watched the whales for about an hour and then left them (just south of the Victoria Harbour entrance!) and finished the trip at the Chain Islands in Oak Bay. At Great Chain we had a nice look at a juvenile Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flying right over the boat and probably checking out all the nesting birds for a potential meal!

Container ship at Constance Bank

Stern of a container ship at Constance Bank

Mount Olympus as seen from Race Rocks Marine Protected Area with seals hauled out on the rocks

Above 2 photos: Steller sea lion at Race Rocks...not the ear flap on the side his head (feature to help identify it as a sea lion)

K14, Lea, a 32 year old female

K26, Lobo, K14's 16 year old son

K34, Cali (8 years old) travelling with his mother K13, Skagit (~37)

K27, Deadhead, a 15 year old female, named in honour of Gerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead!

K34 and K13

K25, Scoter, 18 year old son of K13 and older brother of K27 and K34

K20, Spock, the oldest offspring of K13 (23 years) and mother of K38, Comet. At one point K20 was believed to be a male because of her large dorsal fin and the late birth of K38!

K13

K13 (far right) with her offspring from left to right: K20, K25 and K34