This footage deserves an award. Good job at recording these special orca species. These orcas are also rubbing themselves on the rocky, sandy and pebble shore bed. They itch themselves that way.
This is such an amazing video. These creatures might be called "killer whales", but in this video they are just a loving family. Our human culture could take a lesson from this Orca "J-pods" culture. We should take care of our human extended families as well as they do. Really, which is smarter or have a better sense of family values, humans or Orcas? This is truly a touching family moment! Thanks for sharing.
It doesn't get any better than this and I thank you from the first time I watched a year ago. The fact is if we don't make Salmon Restoration a Huge Priority we will lose L, J, and K pods forever with us not far behind.
@sadeladybug - DFO - department of fisheries. The closey monitor every salmon run from the mainland to the coast every year. If a run is short or dry the implement fishing bans. But the fist nation people are still allowed to fish, not only fish but net as well. If they are told to stop they pitch fits and get violent.
Interestingly, J26 Mike is definitely a loving male of J Pod (and even other pods like L Pod). One of his calves is a part of L pod - pretty cool and rare. J16 Slick, Mother of J26 Mike is said to be the eldest of all of J Pod and one of the most successful mothers (6 total offspring, 3 that are alive today). J16 Slick has been seen as a "mother figure" for some young members of J Pod that have lost their mothers/grandmothers. Very cool that they were able to identify at least 3 of the whales. And the final scene with the entire pod certainly looks to be the correct number of total members of J Pod...AMAZING STUFF TO SEE!
Only apex predators seem to stop and smell the flowers as it were( with no worries I mean ) Magnificent. I’ve seen J pod around Active pass. It has had some births and deaths of recent. Can you imagine being a mammal and living in the ocean?
Redefines the meaning of pec slap. Possibly the best ever film of Southern Residents. To borrow a phrase from Mark Leiren-Young, from Moby Doll onwards every chapter in the Southern Resident story has changed the World. Judging by this film, they WILL do it again. We need to let them speak to the World. In my life, I haven't seen anything more beautiful than this. It's so intense, it took me several weeks to watch it for a second time. The crew of Gary Sutton and Tasli Shaw can be heard on a PNW Protectors podcast that is also revelatory. I guess this is my love letter to Gary and Tasli, to borrow another phrase. Orca Army, I surrender.
Where this video was filmed and where the orcas of j pod are is where they did the Free Willy 2 movie scene where Willy Luna and little spot did the swimming scene with Jesse Nadine this location is where they did the scene in Free Willy 2 where Willy Luna and little spot was swimming Jesse and Nadine
I Love the Orcas so Much. Is there any way to stop the fishing/salmon? Couldn't we petition? Couldn't we do something? I am truly willing to volunteer and do what it takes to help these Orcas. I am willing to be in the solution for these Beautiful Black Fish!!!!! If anyone has any ideas or some sort of direction, please let me know.... I'm ready!!!!
There are a few dams being taken down last I checked, so the chinooks should be doing a lot better in the next year or so (they need time to recover ofc). The Residents just recently got two new babies, Phoenix and Crescent born in September, so maybe things are starting to look up!!
Yes she does, Lolita deserves that much, to come back home. That’s the only sensible reason why Lolita would even be alive today, after almost 50 years in the worst horrific, tiny tank in all of the U.S. It’s been 42 years now, that Lolita hasn’t even seen another orca. Lolita was 5 years old when taken away from her home waters. She remembers and she is alive today, only because she is waiting to go home. I swear, Lolita story completely breaks my heart.
its weird how the male orca is so large (these orcas are of the smallest sub-species) but they all follow the matriarch for life. the matriarch will outlive all the males too.
These southern resident orcas are not the smallest sub-species of orcas. They are the same size of every orca species, we see on the west side of North America.. whether it’s the transients, off shore or residents.
Don’t you think they would prefer not to be followed around being filmed all day. The people that claim to be trying to help the whales are the biggest problem. So selfish! Blame everything but yourselves for their problems! The biggest obstacle these whales face is being harassed 24/7 by whale lovers. It’s sickening! The only thing that’s changed in the last couple decades is the amount of boats following these whales around. Of course they aren’t breeding! Would you want to try and conceive a baby with a bunch of people standing around filming you? Of course not. Don’t believe a thing these so called whale lovers tell you. It’s all BS! They are the problem!
Agree yet/disagree - they have 2 be studied in order to help them. Whale watching for the sake of a rare glimpse of the animal is wrong.Noise pollution from props is distracting for any creature. However without confirmation about the intrusion, Laws wouldn't have been put into place to protect them. Such as non harassment and non following laws, or distance 2 be kept from pods. Without study no one would know what their diet consisted of or their life span. Social interaction is also documented & removal of an animal from it's Pod has long term effects as well. We cannot protect that which isn't understood. Just saying.
Well lots of decisions going on with whales that aren’t science based anyway. With the technology around today you don’t have to be close to the whales to study them either.
Its disappointing and sick to see people like you who claim to love whales but fight others who are trying to educate and help. Whale watching boats arent the problem though. They are the ones out on the water, obeying distance laws, viewing for a short time, helping to establish no-go and quiet zones. They even increased the distance to 400 m just for these whales. Private craft are the ones chasing, harassing and bothering the whales. Most people on the water dont know the laws surrounding cetaceans. Whale watching boats and researchers are the ones documenting health conditions, births and deaths, travel and feeding routes, pushing for removal of the snake river dams, ect. Or are you also against research and documentation? They wanted to get rid of whale watching entirely in Washington State to 'protect' the whales. In reality the Gov wanted the boats gone so no one who see the whales starving to death. So the whales could disappear and no one would realize until it was too late. He also stopped efforts to bring back much needed salmon. As a way to appease pro dam morons. Sounds like your attacking the wrong people dude. Yes some companies are bad and make a bad name for the rest, but those in Puget sound know the whales and care about them much more than you do. The researchers know the whales better than you do. If Ken Balcolm and Howard Garrett had an issue with whale watching they would say something or be protesting it. Done call yourself a 'whale lover' and throw insults and blame at those who probably love and respect them more. You obviously know nothing about the issue or the animals. Have fun in your lonely bubble of stupidity and ignorance.
