We had all been commenting on the fact that 2009 was setting a record that we weren’t exactly thrilled about–it had been 44 days since we had last seen any of our Southern Resident Killer Whales.  Some were concerned that something may have happened to them, but many shared the theory that they had just found a really nice spot to munch on salmon and would come in when that run ran out.  So you can imagine how excited we were to hear that whales had been spotted in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and were coming towards the islands!  And while the weather was supposed to get a little “unsettled” (Pacific Northwest speak for pretty gnarly), we headed out to see if we could spot some familiar fins.  Soon we were in Haro Strait near Battleship Island when we saw our first blows in the distance.  Word had come over the radio by then that J-Pod had finally returned, and rumors were about that K-Pod or L-Pod might also be mixed in.  The whales were quite spread out, which was nice as it allowed us to leisurely watch whales that may be in our area.  We first spotted what appeared to be a sprouter male, that as he got closer, turned out to be J30, Riptide.  At 14 years of age, he is getting quite large!  Figuring that if he’s around, mom can’t be too far away, shortly we were able to ID his mom J14 (Samish), and the newest addition to J-Pod, J45!!  It was amazing to see this little guy coming to the surface!  Off in the distance, we also saw the “big guy” J1 Ruffles.  His distinctive dorsal fin is easy to spot, even from half a mile away!  Afterwards, we stopped to look at bald eagles, harbor seals, and even a California Sea Lion!  A fantastic day!

J45 in the foreground, with mom right next to "him"!

J30 Riptide