August 18, 2011

Today was another exceptional day of whale watching, as guests on all our tours had the thrill of seeing wild orcas. The morning trip aboard the Orca Spirit II encountered resident orcas off of the northern end of San Juan Island, where guests aboard the Pacific Explorer had already enjoyed a great whale watching experience. We were able to positively identify members of K-pod, including Cappuccino (K21), a large mature male in K-pod. Now 25 years old, Cappuccino’s dorsal fin has started to develop a ruffled pattern. This is a common occurrence as whales age. Cappuccino appears to be recovering nicely from a significant he obtained a few weeks ago, most likely from another orca. As always, Cappuccino was travelling with Raggedy (K40) nearby. Members of L-pod were also present. It was a great trip in the presence of our southern resident orcas.

In the afternoon, we encountered members of L-pod off of False Bay. It was a great trip highlighted by some wonderful behaviour, including spyhops,breaches, and porpoising. Identified whales include L41 (Mega), L92 (Crewser), L26 (Baba) and L113 (Cousteau). After our orca encounter, we stopped to view harbour seals and an eagle at Trial Island. With calm seas and sunny skies, it was a great afternoon on the Salish Sea. The crew was definitely excited for the evening trip.