May 18 , 2024 - The Alaska boys are back in town!

Today was a little wet, but that didn’t stop us, as the whales don’t mind the rain they’re already wet! We had Kula our semi-covered and Cascadia our open boats loaded up and bundled up as we ventured out into the cool mist. That mist soon turned to some fairly heavy rain, and guests on the semi-covered tucked inside enjoying her heater! The guests on the open boat were cozy in the anti-exposure suits provided. Conveniently the rain started to let up just as Cascadia’s Captain spotted the towering dorsal fin ahead of the boat. We could tell these two whales were large males, but who was it? The first few surfaces had us guessing, was it Thor another large male with a towering fin? It took us a little while to get an identification for this big boy as his fin has changed since the last time we saw him. It was Jetsam one of the iconic Alaska boys and his brother Flotsam close to his side! Jetsam's dorsal fin looks taller and now has a very prominent lean since his last sighting.

T128 Flotsam ♂ (1988)
T125A Jetsam ♂ (1998)

T065B Chunk ♀ (1993)
T065B1 Birdsall ♂ (2011)
T065B2 Nettle ♂ (2019)
T065B3 (2023)

Speaking of fins looking different, the last season it was Flotsam who had a new injury to his dorsal. What appeared to be deep rake marks from the teeth of another large whale were documented on his fin. This sparked quite the discussion of what may have happened, although theory as we can not know for sure it was speculated the brothers fought! These boys are always together until one day last season they were not. This was noted as strange for these two close-knit bros, after snapping a few photos the bite was noticed and the guesstimates of what may have happened came rolling in, we had drama in the Orca community! The good news is the boys were documented travelling together again soon after the split, so we assumed they have since made up. This made us ecstatic to spot them back together cruising the Salish Sea! More good news is just how resilient our Orca are, Flotsam’s dorsal has since healed with minimal scaring! After our time was up with the staff’s favourite pair, we continued searching and got to meet another group of Orca, this time it was Chunk and her kids! Chunk and her family travel around a lot just like the Alaska Boys, they were once documented here in our waters a month later spotted in California, and then back to us again the following month! The transient Orca range is large stretching from Alaska to California, these two groups were neat to see today showcasing just how wild and free they are! The ocean truly is their playground!

Photos by Marine Naturalists Vanessa Vereschahen and Lucy Willis.

T125A Jetsam and T128 Flotsam (tip). Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T125A Jetsam. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T128 Flotsam. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T125A Jetsam and T128 Flotsam (back). Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T065B1 Birdsall. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T065B Chunk. Photos by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T065B1 Birdsall sporting some new scars. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T065B3 and T065B Chunk. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

T065B1 Birdsall and T065B Chunk. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Left to right: T065B Chunk, T065B2 Nettle, and T065B3. Photo by Lucy Willis.

A juvenile Bald Eagle keeps watch. Photo by Lucy Willis.

An adult Bald Eagle soars overhead. Photos by Vanessa Vereschahen.

A California Sea Lion molting. Photo by Lucy Willis.

Look at that cute little tail! Photo by Lucy Willis.

Entrance Island. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen.

Jilann LechnerMay 18, 2024WhalesComment