Our guests on board the Island Explorer 3 are with the whales! Stay tuned for updates from Naturalist Kate Janes and click on this link to see the
Island Explorer 3 from space!
Paying a Visit
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
Georgia on My Mind (Georgia K11)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
Stages of Surfacing (Oreo's Subpod)
Photo by Naturalist Kate Janes
"Our day started as we headed south down Rosario Strait towards the southern end of Lopez Island. We didn't have to venture too far to find the Orca whales of J & K pod!! The whales were spread out just between Cattle Pass & False Bay and they seemed to be just miling about in a southward direction which was great for us! One of the fit whales we visited with was Raggedy (K40). She is unmistakable since she has a series of notches on her trailing edge of her dorsal fin! Then who would appear following shortly behind her, but her younger brother Cappuccino (K21)!! This 22 year old male sure has grown since last season and soon will be accepted by the females of J & L pod as a potential mate! We watched as they swam by heading south and off the shores of San Juan Island where the rest of K pod & the whales of J pod were! In the afternoon we found ourselves going through some small rollers in the Straits of Juan de Fuca in order to get to J & K pod in the calm waters of Haro Strait!! Just before Lime Kiln Lighthouse, Georgia (K11) appeared!! The calm conditions made it possible for us to watch as her "footprints" formed as she reentered the water creating a trail of slick patches in the water of where she had been! Traveling not far from Georgia was Blackberry (J27)! We parted after a great visit with those two and ventured over to Oreo's (J22) subpod! We watched as Oreo, Doublestuff (J34), Cookie (J38), & Rhapsody (J32) swam by only to shortly turn back and one gave us a HUGE spyhop!! Moments later Blackberry breached!! We enjoyed the Orcas up until Henry Island, then we had to head home. We took the scenic cruise back through the inner islands! Other wildlife that we saw throughout the day included: Glaucous-winged Gulls, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots, Harbor Seals, Harbor Porpoise, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Double-crested Cormorants, Pelagic Cormorants, & Black Oystercatchers!" - Naturalist Kate Janes
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