On the 28th, Group A of J pod, the K12s, K13s, and K14s left San Juan Island and headed North towards the Fraser River in Canada in their search for Chinook/King salmon. Almost all the orcas chose Swanson Channel and Active Pass to get there, but the J16s split off and decided to take Boundary Pass instead. Aboard the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions, we caught up the matriline of six in Canada as they milled about off of Saturna Island before continuing to make their way towards East Point and closer to the river.
The J16 matriline is made up of Slick J16, her four offspring named Mike J26, Alki J36, Echo J42, and J50 (born in December of 2014!), and her grandson, J52 (born in March of 2015!). The family was spread out for the most part. Slick J16, Echo J42, and J50 stayed close to the shoreline while Mike J26, Alki J36, and J52 were more offshore. At one point, Alki J36 logged momentarily at the surface to get some rest and her son J52 did the cutest little spy hop next to her! Alki J36 then chose to bring her calf right past our bow. Soon after, the two of them met up with Mike J26 and he became the babysitter for a few minutes while Alki J36 took a deep dive to forage. J52 treated his uncle just like he would his mother and surfaced in his slip stream a few times!
The J16 matriline is made up of Slick J16, her four offspring named Mike J26, Alki J36, Echo J42, and J50 (born in December of 2014!), and her grandson, J52 (born in March of 2015!). The family was spread out for the most part. Slick J16, Echo J42, and J50 stayed close to the shoreline while Mike J26, Alki J36, and J52 were more offshore. At one point, Alki J36 logged momentarily at the surface to get some rest and her son J52 did the cutest little spy hop next to her! Alki J36 then chose to bring her calf right past our bow. Soon after, the two of them met up with Mike J26 and he became the babysitter for a few minutes while Alki J36 took a deep dive to forage. J52 treated his uncle just like he would his mother and surfaced in his slip stream a few times!
J52 spy peeps next to his resting mother, Alki J36, who was born in 1999.
J52 surfaces in his uncle's slip stream while being babysat! Look at the size difference!
Adult male Mike J26 surfaces off of Saturna Island. He was born in 1991.
Once J52 was back with his mom, he started tail slapping and continued to practice the behavior nearly all the way to East Point. Once they all made it to the point, Echo J42 breached and we turned to head back towards San Juan Island. The next day, Group A of J pod and the K14s were back down at San Juan Island but they then headed back North for Canada, taking an interesting route around Spieden Island and the Cactus Islands to get into Boundary Pass. While they were doing that, the J16s, K12s, and K13s were down at San Juan Island doing the "West side shuffle". However, the next day (the 30th) would bring a surprise!
Please do not use my photos without my permission. Just ask :)
Please do not use my photos without my permission. Just ask :)
