Captain’s Blog

Little-Known Facts About Orcas

January 14, 2021

Originally published: May 4, 2013 These beautiful black-and-white creatures have secrets and we know some interesting, little-known facts about orcas. Remember these facts about orcas on your next Victoria whale watching trip! Orcas are actually dolphins Orcas, often referred to as “killer whales” (Orcinus orca) are a toothed whale and are the largest member of […]

Why Can’t The Southern Resident Killer Whale Diet Change in Light of Dwindling Chinook Salmon?

December 30, 2020

  In the Pacific Northwest, the Southern Resident Killer Whale population has been facing a crisis that threatens their survival. The crisis is an ever-dwindling supply of Chinook Salmon, their preferred prey, within their range along the western coast of Canada and the United States. Chinook Salmon make up approximately 80% of the Southern Resident […]

Seven Famous Killer Whales

December 2, 2020

Originally posted: May 2015 Many Killer Whales have become famous over their lifetime. Some for heroic acts, others for entertainment, some for sad stories of their capture and life in captivity. In this post, we look at 7 Famous Killer Whales that have stolen our hearts over the years. Tahlequah Tahlequah, officially named J35, was […]

Meet the Regulars: Commonly Seen Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whale Families

November 18, 2020

West Coast Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales are a unique ecotype of orca who reside off the Pacific Coast of North America, ranging from Alaska to Northern California. Bigg’s Killer Whales are known as the mammal-hunters because their diet consists of seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, and larger whale species like humpbacks, minkes, and grey whales. […]

Victoria Whale Watching Season Highlights

October 16, 2020

This was a year like no other with the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the start of the Victoria whale watching season until July. With international borders closed, Victoria was a quieter place with only tourists from across Canada visiting our Capital City. While the world seemed up-side-down on land, time on the water and with wildlife […]

Southern Resident Killer Whale Pregnancies: Cautious Optimism for Their Future

September 23, 2020

Written by Rachael Merrett- Orca Spirit Marine Naturalist The whale world has been abuzz about the orca pregnancies detected within all three pods of the Southern Resident Killer Whale population since SR3 (Sealife Response + Rehab + Research) announced their discovery in July of 2020. They revealed that there are pregnancies in all three pods, […]

Meet the Whales of K-Pod in 2020 from the Southern Resident Orca Population!

March 18, 2019

Updated September 2020 K-pod orcas are the smallest of three orca pods belonging to the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population. While these whales can be seen during our whale watching season, K-pod is often the last pod to show up in the Salish Sea during the spring and summer months. The Southern Residents have […]

Meet the Whales of J-Pod from the Southern Resident Orca Population!

March 11, 2019

Updated September 2020 J-Pod orcas are one of three orca pods that belong to the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population. It is believed that this population has used the Salish Sea for tens of thousands of years to hunt their preferred prey- Chinook salmon. The population is the most highly studied population of marine […]

Meet the Whales of L-Pod from the Southern Resident Orca Population!

March 4, 2019

Updated September 2020 L-Pod orcas make up the largest of the three pods in the Southern Resident Killer Whale population. They the largest pod and they also include the oldest living Southern Resident, Ocean Sun (L-25) who is estimated to have been born in 1928. The secret to identifying individual whales is to look at […]