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!

Check out the Whale Nerds Unite blog and start reading about 50 Ways to Save the Oceans (and what I have and am doing to implement these 50 ways in my life!). These are all simple actions we can do in our lives to help the whales in the Salish sea and all inhabitants of the oceans!

View Larger Map