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Out on the Ocean, Surrounded by Orcas

Posted July 14, 2011 in Learn More by Michael Mountain

(Seventh in the series Superpod One – Where It All Began)

Day Three: It’s 11.30, and we’ve joined an expedition with Spencer, a young man with an engaging manner and a whale-watching boat. There are seven of us, and as we head out from the bay toward the open sound, Spencer is confident we’re going to see some orcas.

The whale-watching boats stay in touch with each other, sharing info on where the orcas are. I’m sitting up front next to Spencer, and soon I’m hearing crackling voices coming in on the radio saying that the K and L pods are heading south in our direction from Canada.

“That means we could be really lucky,” Spencer says. “The J pod is south of us near the point over there and heading up toward where the other pods are coming down. They may all be joining up for a superpod.”

Superpods are like orca conventions, with lots of excitement among the whales as they share information and learn about each other. Younger males and females get to meet their peers, and mothers encourage their sons to “go talk to that nice girl over there.”

We can make a few assumptions from all the splashing and frolicking we see in superpod meet-ups, but their cultures and customs have been developing for millions of years, and we have very little idea of what else they may be saying or doing..

The superpod meetup begins. Photo by the Center for Whale Research

Spencer shuts off the engine as the K and L pods draw close. About a half-dozen other boats have gathered nearby to watch them going by. “There’s one at 7 o’clock,” someone says as we start seeing the orcas surfacing, breathing, then diving again. … “Three o’clock.” … “Five o’clock.” We soon stop pointing them out … there are just so many of them … not crowded together … the expanse of water is huge and the orcas are dotted through it, a couple here, a threesome there. It’s a bit like when you’re watching a meteor shower and every few seconds another one flashes in the sky and disappears a moment later.

A photo ID of Mega (with notch on dorsal fin), L41, from one of the Center for Whale Research charts.

Scientists and orca protection people like Ken Balcomb, and whale watching pilots like Spencer, can spot many of the individual whales from the shape and markings of the dorsal fins.

“That was Mega,” Spencer says when an extra-large whale with a very large dorsal fin surfaces nearby. “He’s L 41.” He glances Spencer has a chart of orca fins compiled by Ken’s team at the Center for Whale Research, and he glances down at it to confirm what he’s saying.

A noisy nuisance

Noisy tugboat. Photo by Christina Becraft

About 10 minutes later, most of the K’s and L’s have gone by and are apparently now heading for a meet-up with the J’s. Spencer starts the engine and we follow the two pods from the north.

We slow down as a tugboat approaches, hauling an enormous container vessel. “These big boats are really hard on the whales,” Spencer says. “The noise of the engines is very deep and it travels for miles.”

The noise polluter chugs by and we’re on our way again. Soon we catch up with a half-dozen other boats who are gathering to see the superpod coming together, and just a few moments later we have J’s, K’s and L’s popping up all around us.

Coast Guard pulls up next to us to check our papers, which are all in order.

Among the boats is one from the Coast Guard, keeping an eye on the whale-watcher boats to be sure they’re all complying with regulations. They pull up next to us to check Spencer’s papers, which are all in order.

By law, all boats are required to stay at least 200 meters away from the whales, and the Coast Guard is often patrolling among the boats. But if an orca surfaces closer to the boat, that’s obviously up to them, and you get a lucky close-up. And that’s exactly what happens to us.

Meet Big Mama

Grandma J2 identifies herself with the small notch on her dorsal fin. Photo by the Center for Whale Research.

Suddenly, and completely out of the blue, an orca surfaces just a few meters from the port side of the boat. Spencer lights up.

“That looks like Granny!” he says, grabbing the dorsal fin chart to double-check. “Yes, it absolutely is.”

For those of us who’ve heard about Grandma J2, the matriarch of the J pod who’s estimated to be about 100 years old, this is the most exciting and memorable thing that could happen. For Grandma J2 to have surfaced just a few feet from our boat is like getting to meet your favorite celebrity on the red carpet at the Oscars. Priceless.

J2 pauses on the surface for a few moments more, as if to introduce herself, then dives and is gone. For our part, we’ve all gone silent, staring at the water where we saw her, and thinking of ourselves as the luckiest people alive. We’ve just met the most remarkable orca on record.

The missing family member

Lolita, kidnapped from the L pod, now at the Miami Seaquarium.

But the most poignant aspect of the trip is being among the L pod, and knowing that one of them is missing from the family group. Thousands of miles away, on the other side of the continent down at the Miami Seaquarium, Lolita has been held captive in a pool since she was abducted from her pod 40 years ago. While the rest of the L’s have each other for company, Lolita has simply a plastic blow-up whale toy in the pool with her.

Every day, she still calls out to her family, just as the other L’s do to each other as they migrate up and down the northwest coast. But instead of the great ocean with its rocky depths, tidal rips, and coastal shallows teeming with salmon and other animals, all she knows is the circular wall of the pool bouncing her echo-location calls back at her like a hall of mirrors.

Table of Contents

Superpod One – Where it All Began
In the summer of 2011, a group of scientists, journalists and former orca trainers met up on San Juan Island. Their week together would eventually lead to the formation of the Whale Sanctuary Project.

Off to the Island
On the ferry to San Juan Island everyone crowds onto the top deck for glimpses of dolphins, harbor seals, eagles and other animals.

First Sighting
At the Center for Whale Research, we see dorsal fins popping out of the water … just a second or two as the orcas come up for air.

Grandma J2’s Birthday Party
Grandma J2 has celebrated her 100th birthday. San Juan Island held a party in her honor. But how do they know she’d just turned 100?

T Is for Transient
As well as the “resident” pods, who spend most of their time around the islands, there are “transient” pods whose lifestyle is quite different.

Luna: the Orca Who Wanted to Be Friends
Orcas need each other’s company. So, when Luna got separated from his family, he started making friends with humans on their boats in Nootka Sound.

Out on the Ocean, Surrounded by Orcas
We’re headed out toward the open sound, and our captain is confident we’re going to see some orcas.

Orcas at the Other End of the World
The orcas line up and create a wave that will lift one side of the ice floe and tip the seal into the water.

Orca Dinner Party
The whales need 200 pounds of food every day, and Chinook salmon is the only food that the resident orcas will eat.

Super-Intelligence
Whichever way you look at orca brains, you have to conclude that these guys are super-intelligent.

Custody Battle Over a Captive Orca
An unseemly custody battle is going on between SeaWorld and Marineland over orca Ikaika, whom SeaWorld has “loaned” them.

We’ll Meet Again . . .
The group needs a name. I suggest “Superpod” in honor of what we’ve seen and shared this week. It’s agreed … and it’s just a beginning

Also on the Blog

  • How We Can Give Sanctuary to the Whales Who Cannot Wait
  • A Tale of Two Baby Orcas
  • Orca Brains and Intelligence
  • Canada Bans Captivity of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
  • A Deep Dive into Environmental Analysis
  • TEDx Talk “Whales Without Walls” by Charles Vinick
  • Whale Aid Russia

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Free Willy and the legacy of Keiko.
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