TJ31 lifts her flukes
Photo by Emma Foster

Encounter #029-1

June 20, 2007 - J pod

Platform: Orca
Departed Snug Harbor: 7:06 a.m.
Begin Encounter: 7:43 a.m.
Start Lat: 48° 27.11 N
Start Long: 123° 01.40 W
End encounter: 9:35 a.m.
End Lat: 48° 31.499 N
End Long: 123° 10.206 W
Returned to Snug Harbor: 9:51 a.m.
Observers: Katie Jones, Emma Foster, Erin Heydenreich, Barbara Todd and Lily Eveliene Dinger.

Whales were spotted very early in the morning traveling south past the Center for Whale Research. Staff responded to the report by 7:00 a.m. and found J pod spread out at the southern end of San Juan Island. The whales were moving north and were slowly gathering up into their immediate family groups. The whales were quite playful and were displaying many breaches, spyhops, and tail lobs. Staff followed the whales to Andrew’s Bay where they turned around and moved south at a medium speed. The encounter ended just north of Lime Kiln Lighthouse.