OnBoard Tours Whales

L-78 Gaia - marks on dorsal fin

Lunging

July 13, 2009
Rockin and rollin through wind and waves out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca today, to get where we saw K’s and the L2’s heading east with the flooding tide between the entrance to Victoria Harbor and Trial Island, Canada. They were all bunched up together, milling, foraging, some directional changes. A few spy hops, lunges, a side roll, and flukes in the air, and at times they all surfaced together, still amazing to see all those whales and fins shoulder to shoulder, making the long trip memorable. We identified K-13, K-34, K-40, K-21, K-14, K-26, L-2, L-78, and L-88. L-78 Gaia had fresh propeller or rake marks on the right side of his dorsal fin. My first thought was it reminded me of the rake- teeth marks I have seen on gray whales that have survived a Transient Orca attack. Very unusual! Photos are being sent to the Center For Whale Research,  so I’ll keep you updated on what the scientists think the marks are from.