Written by Alison
on Oct 29, 2024

Socializing Killer Whales

Socializing Killer Whales

September 12, 2024 AM – We left the dock and headed south knowing we might have a bit of fog, but there was a report of 6-8 Orcas down there so off we went.  After a great stop with the always active Steller Sea Lions on Whale Rocks we headed east into the fog.  Luckily it cleared after about 5 minutes and before we knew it we were with not 6 or 8 Bigg’s Killer Whales but 13!  We had a great encounter as they traveled in a tight group along the beautiful backdrop of south Lopez.  The group was made up of members from 4 different matrilines and included one mature male, T137A – Jack and one approximately 6 month old calf T36B4!   The whales we had were T36(1), T36B’s(4), T124A1(1), T124D’s(3) and the T137’s (4)!  But wait there was another group a few miles away!  Captain Ivan figured that we had time for a short visit with them before taking a scenic route home.  In this group there were members of 3 matrilines for a total of 11 whales!  We heard they had started to split up but right when we got on scene they came back together and started breaching and tail slapping!  Wow, talk about good timing!  It was just a quick flurry of activity from members of the T37A’s and the T100’s.  It was fun to see Crinkle catch some air.  The T101’s were also in the vicinity, but a bit farther away so we did not get a look at them.  But, hey it was an amazing trip with loads of beautiful Orcas and more activity than I had seen in a long time!

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: @Alisonengleart – Website: www.alisonengle.com

Western Prince Wildlife Adventures – Instagram: @Westernprincewildlife – Facebook: Western Prince Whale Watching

Written by Alison
on Oct 29, 2024

Socializing Killer Whales

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