Kelping orca (J35?)
San Juan Island
June 26, 2009
Photo by Jill Hein

June 26
Whales all over today on the west side of San Juan Island, very spread out. We were a mile or two off shore with L78, K16 and possibly J35, who played in a kelp bed, then pushed the kelp over towards us. What a thrill. Attached are 2 photos of the kelp princess.
Jill Hein, Coupeville

June 26th, I was out on the Western Explorer and we met up with J-Pod again heading north in Swanson Channel around 12 noon. They were in nice tight groups and we spent most of our time observing the J14 family group with J1, J2, and J8. We were able to identify every J- Pod family group but the J16s, so they either went undetected or were off on their own somewhere else. When we left them around 1 PM they were just nearing Otter Bay, still traveling north against a flood tide. You can see some photos from this afternoon here.
Monika Wieland, San Juan Island

June 26
We left the Ks last night off the Southern tip of Lopez Isl. Js had gone North in the morning, so they should be back today.
Capt. Jim Maya, Maya's West Side Charters

June 26
On our afternoon trip, we headed out to meet up with the Orcas reported to be heading north in Swanson Channel. When we arrived, J Pod was in a tight resting formation, drifting past Village Bay on Mayne Island. We knew that would likely change as they approached Active Pass. Sure enough, the tail slaps started just as they rounded the bend at Helen's Point. Was that a response to the strong current pulling them into the pass, or the DFO observer sitting on the point watching the whale watch boats??? In any case, all the commercial boats gave the whales lots of room as they maneouvered across the pass to the shores of Galiano Island, and then to the east. The whales stayed fairly tightly together until they were mid-pass, when the action really got going - upside-down swimming, breaches, tail slaps, pec slaps, spyhops - as they approached the tide rips at the east end of the pass. I've attached one photo (see above) of the multi- action our passengers were fortunate to witness. As they were exiting the pass, the whales did a long dive going through the final large tide rips, and surfaced some distance to the east. Once in the Strait of Georgia, the pod split into matriline groups and spread out for the crossing. The mud plume from the Fraser River had spread all the way across the Strait due to the low tide and earlier winds, and the whales seemed to be doing many more spyhops than we usually see as they exit Active Pass. They might have been surprised by the sudden darkness underwater where it should have been clear blue- green water. We left J Pod shortly after their exit from Active Pass. They were still heading east towards the coal docks. Happily, the DFO boat on scene likely got zero footage of whale watch boats misbehaving as everyone was keeping a very respectful distance. Only one BC ferry entered the pass during the time we were there, and it was at the wider east end, allowing lots of room to stay out of the way of both whales and the ferry. Our passengers enjoyed a very special encounter with these animals, observing not only many behaviours, but also the family togetherness of a resting pod.
Joan Lopez, Naturalist, Vancouver Whale Watch