Thursday, July 10

This evening, our cruise ship charter headed east into the waters of Haro Strait. There, passengers and crew of the Orca Spirit were privileged to spend time with members of J-pod. We had a wonderful visit with Mike (J26) and his family, including J16 (Slick) and the newest J-pod calf, J42. It was wonderful, as one of the orcas greeted us with a breach. Mike travelled with us for quite a while, entertaining us with a lovely "backstroke", and showing us his belly. The antics of the young orca calf were also astounding, and all of us felt fortunate to spend time with these magnificent cetaceans. To conclude this trip, we spent some time with Ruffles, the oldest resident male, framed by the setting sun. It was a fitting finale to another wonderful trip.