"Ruffles" and "Granny". Photo courtesy of Sandy Buckley

The San Juan Islands are famous as the setting for the Pig War and for their orcas.  Of those famous orcas, two are the most sought-after by visitors for sightings and as photo subjects.  They are J1 and J2, also known as "Granny" and "Ruffles".  They are the oldest members of their respective sexes in the Southern Resident population and our most well-known orcas.  Granny is estimated to be 99 years old, and Ruffles, who...

Being on the water six days a week pretty much guarantees that a person is going to see all things imaginable when it comes to these orcas.  That, of course, in no way diminishes my excitement in seeing them each and every time.  They are beautiful and sleek and amazing and unpredictable.  Despite the regulations that govern boating around these animals, sometimes mistakes happen and boats get caught out with an orca too close.  Eventually the odds are going to turn on you, since...

Today we ventured to Active Pass in Canada to admire those beautiful black and white creatures known as Orcas.
It is not very often we have to travel this far to see them. Thanks to the gorgeous weather, our guests definitely did not mind the boat ride. The longer boat rides are often very nice because we get the opportunity to know the guests on board a little better and delve into deeper subjects relating to the Orca population. Also we get to see many of the islands along the way and talk...

With the orcas being able to swim 30-35 mph and covering 100 miles in a day, it is easy to see how they can become "lost" from one day to the next.  And with the Salish Sea being such a large body of water, how is it that the whale watching companies ever find what they are looking for?  Since we do not use bait sites, spotting planes or boats, and none of the animals we see are animatronic, we must be using some other means of detection.  Sonar?  Nope.  Fish finder?  Only works if...

We often have people ask us about whether the orcas wear tags and if that is how we know where they are.  Since the Southern Residents are listed as an endangered species, researchers are not given permission to attach tags to them.  The same logic that discourages the use of tags is the same safety-based thinking that prohibits taking skin or blood

White dot on dorsal fin is satellite tag. Photo courtesy of Cascadia Research

samples from the resident orcas, thereby limiting the...

When it comes to orca mating, researchers do not know how the pairs are established.  Mating is indiscriminate, meaning that males and females do not stay together.  Females raise the calf with their family and the males help to raise their siblings, cousins, etc.  It has even been theorized that the matriarch has some say in who will pair with whom and when.  Talk about a nosy in-law.

If the matriarchs do not condone, or even establish, when the mating will take place, and we know...

This just out regarding Salmon (resident orcas mainstay of food). It is interesting enough that I am putting up on our blog, which is usually reserved for  crew to report on their tour experiences.

Here is the link.  It is only about a 2 minute piece - give a listen?  http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/news.newsmain/article/0/1/1690183...

NORTH BONNEVILLE, WA (N3) - Banner runs of salmon and steelhead are migrating up some Northwest rivers this summer. Not since dams were...

Compass Rose

All of the old mariner's tales that you have heard about the watery deep are true.  She is unpredictable, untameable and undeniable.  She giveth and she taketh away, and usually when you least expect it.  Here in the Salish Sea, nestled amongst the San Juan Islands, it is no different.  Each day and every trip is different.  The weather changes just like a woman changes her mind and everyone knows that there is no arguing with that.  The water will be glass one...

Each day as we cruise out of Friday Harbor, with hopes of seeing whales drifting about in our heads, I start the guests of with an introduction to the San Juan Islands and the all the wonders the islands offer. I often mention in this introduction that we as naturalists love questions. Not only do we have a passion to educate, we all have a passion to share the facts that YOU as a guest want to know. As an educator, I feel that people retain information better if it is something they...

Today was an exceptional day, amazing wildlife everywhere and beautiful weather! The animals seemed to get bigger and bigger as we continued our trip. We started by observing some harbor seals warming themselves on the rocks, these animals weigh about 300lbs as adults. Our next stop was the much larger Sea Lions that we spotted in Cattle pass. They have been hanging out in this area fishing for the past few days and it's been exciting each time to see them.  We were now on our way...