Captain’s Blog

Remembering J-2 Granny

January 13, 2017

The Orca Spirit family is mourning the loss of the oldest member of the Southern Resident Killer Whales and the oldest known orca in the world, J-2 Granny. Granny was a force to be respected on the water. This ultimate matriarch led J-pod with intelligence that only a wise leader could; a whale who has […]

Why is it So Hard to Watch Killer Whales Hunting?

August 30, 2016

The slight fluttering of the water’s surface is always a dead giveaway. At first you tremble with excitement as you realize what’s currently happening, but then, more often than not, you cringe in terror from what’s about to happen. Killer whales hunting in the wild is one of our planet’s most powerful scenarios, and it’s […]

3 J-Pod Behaviours to Watch For This Whale Watching Season

August 16, 2016

It’s the middle of August and the whale watching season is in full swing! We’ve seen a dazzling array of behaviour, from quirky to common, deliberate to downright hilarious. And that’s just from the whale watchers on the deck of the boat! Seriously though, the summer whale watching season has been as wondrous and captivating […]

The 7 Biggest Troublemaking Orca Residents of JPod

July 5, 2016

A hundred years ago there was real trouble in the waters of coastal British Columbia. A new predator had emerged, one that would deteriorate fish supply to such an extreme degree that it prompted an unnatural fear of the beasts responsible. The legend of the killer whale was born and the war between orca and […]

Why is Family Structure so Crucial to J-Pod’s Resident Orcas?

May 24, 2016

Imagine cruising around in your family’s chosen mode of transportation (when I was a kid that meant a robust, 80’s style Ford Bronco that fit approximately 24 children). You go everywhere together in this vehicle. Someone’s hungry? Let’s whip through the drive through at McDonald’s. Someone has swimming lessons? We’ll drop ‘em off in the […]