It is mid morning on Johnstone Strait and we came upon a pod of what appeared to be orca resting. I am not sure that I would call this resting as most of the time seemed to have been spent playing. This pod of orca took more than an hour to move a hundred meters (yards). The adults would drift with the current while the young spy hopped, tail slapped and rolled on their backs. Fantastic viewing and I even saved on fuel.
Tag Archives: Orca
Working 2 of 2
A killer whale / orca’s working speed is much faster than a humpback as it is looking for salmon. This orca had been circling the area of our boat as we sat and watched it feed. This time if surfaced under a “full head of steam” before it dove again nearer the boat to continue it’s search for food. Again as in January 17th post my guests did not complain.
Orca Behaviour Pt1
Orca are highly intelligent and incredibly sociable animals. There behaviour varies day to day. They are often travelling, foraging and resting, but they do take time for play and socializing as well. This whale is basically standing on his head and doing a little bit of “tail lobbing”.
Orca Resting Line
These Orca are resting in the waters of Johnstone Strait. Whales are voluntary breathers, which means unlike us they have to think about every breathe that they take. When whales rest they shut down half of their brain and close the opposite eye. They reverse this process, so that both sides of their body is able to rest. This lets the animal rest, but also breathe and watch for danger.
Surprise Killer Whale Viewing 2 of 2
…we were sitting in Blackney Pass and had lost contact with the orca. They had been diving and changing direction for close to half an hour when they surfaced very close to our boat. As a guide luck often trumps skill.
Bow Wave from an Orca
You know that this killer whales / orca is close when you realize my camera is a Pentax Optio Wpi 6MP and 3X Optical Zoom and does not have one of a “long lens”. Even better is the calf that is shadowing its mother.
Dolphins Visiting
The largest of the dolphins and one of the world’s most powerful predators does like to play around boats as do the pacific white sides of yesterday’s post. It is not uncommon to have killer whales / orca come along side the boat if you happen to be stopped as a pod is fishing in the area. I am not sure if the salmon are schooling under the boat for safety but I know that I once had one large (10 plus kilo – 25 lbs) spring salmon try to hide under my boat when there were killer whales in the area. That is me leaning over the side of the boat taking the picture.
Killer Whale Approaching
Not much to add on this photo except that again we were in the right place at the right time. In part due to the skill of the guide but as I often say “I would rather have luck than skill when photographing wildlife”.
Orca Identification
Killer whales (orcas) have a dorsal fin that is distinctive in that it is larger than most species relative to their body size. In fact, it is one of the characteristics used to identify individuals. Individual whales have slight variations in their fin shape. They also have distinctive nicks and scratches that help differentiate one individual from another. Additionally, killer whales have a whitish-grey patch of pigmentation on their back, just behind the dorsal fin called a saddle patch. Just like a human fingerprint, each saddle patch is different and these differences help tell the whales apart. The combination of the saddle patch and dorsal fin are used to identify whales on the water or in photographs.
Poor Timing
As I have mentioned at other times in the blog I am always trying to get photos, which show the guest interacting with the wildlife. This time was close as I managed the guest in the corner of the boat and the top of a killer whales dorsal fin and the splash of another passing near the stern of the boat. The idea is that sometime we are close and I am just not always successful but then my photos are really not the important ones.
