October 3 

Gotta love October whales.....the season is winding down here, so every encounter is a gift this time of year (really any time of year, but still - these are the moments that will get people like me through the winter!). I got to check in with members of all three pods today, including a nice group of the J17s, J19s, and J31. Left Js Ks Ls at Battleship quickly northbound at 1:00, spread for many miles.
Monika Wieland

Here's J28 Polaris, little J51 Nova (8 months old already!), and J41 Eclipse. Photo by Monika Wieland, October 3, 2015

Photo by Monika Wieland, October 3, 2015

1:13 p.m. - Westbound just past south end of Lopez now.
11:51 a.m. - L54's westbound at Bird Rocks.
James Gresham

11:12 a.m. -  been watching many whales over the past 30 minutes on the webcam and listening on the hydrophones to  intermittent vocalizations, whistles, an echolocation as members of J, K, and L pod power on northbound past the lighthouse, with quite a few passing close to the lighthouse and people on the rocks.
10:45 a.m. -  start hearing whistles on Lime Kiln hdyrophone and visuals on the webcam of northbound SRKWs.
Alisa, ON

I just couldn't resist taking this screen grab of this large group of residents powering northbound close to those humans on shore reveling in their presence. Webcam screenshot by Alisa, ON, October 3, 2015

K pod calls from 6:35-7 before it stopped. (the hydrophone) Sounded like one or two whales from K pod.
Barbara Bender

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7:02 p.m. - The boat noise is clearing out - they're still there.
6:23 p.m. - Picking up a bit. Love these calls.
Debbie Stewart

6:20 p.m. - Orca on the Lime Kiln! Hearing LPod I think...
Katy Rudolph

8:00 p.m. - still intermittent calls.
6:52 p.m. - been mostly quiet past while, intermittent calls. Hearing echolocation now.
6:15 p.m. - start hearing faint vocals on Lime Kiln. Sounds like members of all three pods
Alisa, ON

11:06 a.m. - K & L pod passing Sooke, B.C. now! East bound at the moment...Reports of others near Victoria west bound...
Paul Pudwell

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12:46 p.m. - J,K, & L Pod off Sooke, B.C. right now!
Paul Pudwell

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L122 is a boy! Oh Boy! They came through President's Channel which was a first for me! We were skunked on All Aboard Sailing in the morning by fog. But then, after hanging with a humpback, meeting up at sunset with the Js, Ks and Ls south of Flattop was just... incredible. More breaches than I've ever seen... and L91 rolled around her calf L122, less than a month old, to reveal he is a boy. (we await official confirmation from the Center for Whale Research)
Barbara Bender

L91 rolling her calf, L122, to reveal he is a boy. Photo by Barbara Bender, September 30, 2015

L91 with her first born calf, L122 Photo by Barbara Bender, September 30, 2015

L92 Crewser - breached 3 times! Photo by Barbara Bender, September 30, 2015

Tonight was one of those night's that we dream about out here ... Let me paint the picture for you in words: forty plus resident orcas traveling up the Orcas Island coastline, socializing, breaching, syphoping, cartwheeling, and surfacing in respiratory synchronicity in the late afternoon sun. Backlit blows, water that was like glass, my best friend on board, and the sound of their exhalations carrying on for miles like the harmonic sound of water dripping on pebbles. There's nothing that get's me quite like the "koof, koof, koof" of a pod of orca surfacing all at the same time, displaying ties of social familiarity and family unity. They're so close to one another - neurologically programed to take care of each other with an innate sense of family that exceeds our human ties. To them, this social and tactile behavior that we're fortunate enough to witness is vital for their survival. It's an incredibly powerful thing. Humans could learn so much from these black and white mystics. I will stop at nothing to protect these orcas and try to bring back their primary food source, Chinook/King salmon so that our lives will continue to be enriched by their presence. We need to do our part so that they're around for generations to come.
Heather MacIntyre

Wednesday night while watching southern resident orcas off Orcas Island. Photo by Heather MacIntyre, September 30, 2015

5:25 p.m. - sporadic calls on Lime Kiln hydro.
5:15 p.m. - Orcas heading past Lime Kiln Lighthouse. (webcam)
Kim Merriman

5:00 p.m. - Amazing huge group orcas (est. about 20 or more of them) passed through breaching and heading west between Orcas Island and Sucia Island over a period of about 1 hour!
Mindy Blaski

4:00 p.m. - Large orca pod sighted, feeding and traveling. The orcas were traveling westward in the waters between Orcas Island and Sucia Island, directly north of Point Thompson.
Sig Snelson

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We spent all day with the majority of the southern residents in the Strait of Georgia. Sunset trip with the staff was the highlight though! Awesome trip! Big mixed groups of J's, K's and L's including the newest one, L122. The vocals were insane! especially at sunset....it was a pretty surreal setting sitting at sand heads at sunset with whales everywhere squawking away, man, are we lucky to have the opportunity to do this every day.
Gary Sutton

Serene September sunset with southern residents, Georgia Strait. Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015

Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015

J51 peeking up, Georgia Strait. Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015

Another awesome mix! In the lead is K36, J39 and L55. L95 and K26 in the back. Photo by Gary Sutton, September 29, 2015

L41 Mega this afternoon off San Juan Island. He's such a beautiful creature. Photo by Heather MacIntyre, September 29, 2015 (zoomed and cropped)

What a great day on the Chilkat! Captain Trifecta took us to Port Townsend, then we found the T049A's (all 4), stopped by whale rocks on the way to Hannah Heights where we found L Pod Resident orcas, and on the way back we found two humpbacks whales!!
Janine Harles

Stunning iconic northwest scene with an L pod whale on her/his back in Haro Strait back-dropped by Cattle Point Lighthouse and Mount Baker/Cascade range. Photo by Janine Harles, September 29, 2015

...and a little flip of the fluke. Photo by Janine Harles, September 29, 2015

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Photos from tonights beautiful encounter with the J14 and L4 matrilines. We watched the two groups join up in Haro Strait and form one huge 'cuddle puddle'. It was great to see the youngsters socializing together too! Towards the end, we even got to see L95 and J27 chasing each other at high speeds - so cool!
Heather MacIntyre

L95 Nigel in the lead! Photo by Heather MacIntyre, September 28, 2015

J27 Blackberry launching himself out of the water after L95 Nigel. Photo by Heather MacIntyre, September 28, 2015

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I was heading north toward Mukilteo from Possession Bar this evening and passed 3 Orcas heading South. Looked like an adult and 2 juveniles.
Ron Reeder

12:30 p.m. -  I watched 4 orcas, 3 adults and one younger, in Port Susan Bay from my Port Susan Terrace home. They traveled East 100 yards off shore for about 30 mins.
Melanie Serroels

12:30 p.m. - We had a huge treat at lunch today when a small group of orcas swam by our home at Port Susan Terrace beach on Camano Island. There were probably three adults and one juvenile. They hung around for about 30 minutes.  They were closely followed by a group of porpoises.  How's that for dessert?
Bob and Mary Pelland

Bigg's/Transient male journeys about the glassy waters of Port Susan. Photo by Bob and Mary Pelland, October 1, 2015 (Looks like T137A. Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research)

12:30 pm - Just saw two Orcas off east shore of Camano Island in Port Susan Bay. It Looked like one was a calf. There were 3 orcas and they were heading south toward Everett. It was so cool seeing these from our deck. Photo by Cindy Stulken, October 1, 2015

Photo by Cindy Stulken, October 1, 2015

The Mukilteo Clinton ferry also reported seeing the orcas again, on the north side of the ferry at around 11:30 am - then a 12:30 report of orcas in Port Susan.

On the 8:00am ferry this morning the captain announced orca sightings to the north of the Clinton dock.
Zachary Simonson-Bond


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7:15 p.m. -  Woo hoo! First orca sighting of the season. I think T's, 6 orcas including a large male and baby headed slowly north past Dilworth - Vashon. They were traveling pretty close to shore.
Aimee Demarest

6:50 p.m. - Three Orcas just passed by Dilworth heading towards Point Robinson, Vashon. Kelly Keenan

6:49 p.m. - Orcas just passed Dilworth on Vashon, headed south. Think I hear more.
Laura Daughenbaugh

5:24 p.m. - Just saw them!  Heading north - I am at the north end of Lincoln Park!
Kristin Jones

4:00 p.m. -  today saw 3 orcas (I think) at Haines Wharf traveling slow/average rate north towards Meadowdale County Beach.. Unable to determine if any males.
Jennifer Love-Talley

7:00-9:30 a.m. - Small pod (5-6?) on Possession bar (south Whidbey) this morning , going in every direction, actively chasing/feeding. Milled around for several hrs. One large male, foggy and 3-400 yards away.
RognSue Allen Ford

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3:55 p.m.  - Blows appeared a mile or two north of Point No Point, still heading south. Appeared to be 4 or 5, including one big male.
Howard, ON

3:20 p.m. - Orcas at Bush Pt. Whidbey Is. Heading south.
Reported by Dave Anderson.

T049As on a kill, South Lopez-Iceberg area. Photo by Janine Harles, September 29, 2015

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T10B west bound past Clover Point, Victoria on the morning of September 28, 2015 Photo by Mark Malleson

Hi, My name is David Long. I am a surfer, and I surf at Ocean Beach San Francisco. I saw two Orcas side by side at Ocean beach, Sloat Ave.,  at about 9 am on Thursday October 1 , 2015. Fins fully exposed, white on the side, traveling north.
David long 

Fin Whale near McArthur Bank Photo by Mark Malleson, September 29, 2015

10:00 a.m. - Marilyn and a friend just called from Eglon to say they're watching the humpback (1 or 2??) from their house about 1-1/2 miles south of the Eglon boat launch, gradually heading north.
reported by James DeRoy

8:30 a.m. - The Humpback is back at Point No Point this morning! Or maybe she never left? Just South of the point- no apparent direction. She looked to be foraging. Kitsap side.
Elyse Margaret


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Doris Davies reports seeing humpbacks of Norwegian Point.

11:30 a.m. -  traveling north on S/V Wandering Star saw one whale surface, blow, and dive several times. We were just off Pilot Point, south of Point No Point. The whale was slowly heading south close to shore and appeared to be feeding. Did not see the pecroral fins for positive ID.
Margaret Glowacki

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3:05 p.m. -beautiful humpback just south of Point No Point, Kitsap. Photo by Janine Harles, October 1, 2015 (This whale was photographed on 9/26 & 9/28 in this same general area, see our Sept 28th Sightings Report)

5:22 p.m.  - humpback blow close to Kitsap side several miles south of Pt no Pt - directly west of north Edmonds. Just saw a fluke and dive, looks heading more to shoreline
4:08 p.m. -  I'm thinking it might be a humpback mom with calf
12:25 pm - huge splash from what I believe had to be a humpback breach. Mid channel east of Point No Point & south of Scatchet Head. In line between Double Bluff and north Edmonds.
Stu Davidson

Got word of some apparent humpbacks seen between the Edmonds and Point No Point this AM by birders. "I saw quite a few blows and several backs of what looked like Humpbacks in a 30 second period about 8:30am this morning from the pier. The quick frequency of the blows made me think I was seeing at least two whales. They were far enough that I could only see the very top of their backs and their blows though so hard to know." The direction they said would put them between PNP and Whidbey.
Josh Adams

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5:54 p.m. -  humpback turned westerly and now out further from shore off north Edmonds (south of Possession Point)
5:42 p.m. - humpback heading north close to shore north Edmonds.
Stu Davidson

5:20 p.m. - There's a whale right now in Edmonds 1.6 miles north of downtown next to the sailboat. Saw the tail, few spouts. Photo by AnaLisa Gerbig, September 30, 2015

4:27 p.m. -  lucky me, just parked at Sunset Ave in Edmonds and humpback straight out in the middle between here and Kitsap, heading north.
Michelle Goll

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6:51 p.m.  - whale blows east of PNP. Definitely two whales! Same general location.
6:30 p.m. -  humpback has moved north and should be directly east offshore of Point No Point several miles. As seen from north Edmonds
5:45 p.m. -  Watching big Blows (single humpback I think) close to Kitsap side south of Point No Point (PNP) a couple miles+.
Stu Davidson

Amazing week with Humpbacks. Photo by Michael Colahan

"This grey whale has really taken a liking to Vancouver, or so it seems. And it might have even called in a friend. On Friday, several eyewitnesses reported seeing two grey whales in English Bay."  See the full VanCity article with photos and video: Two grey whales spotted in Vancouver today

4:38 p.m. - Ok, this is cool. We just had a large group of LAGS (Pacific white-sided dolphins) go porpoising south off of the west side. How fun! (Between Lime Kiln and False Bay)
Sandy Buckley