Pink or Blue - Only Mom Knows!

The Orca Network announced the sighting of a new baby orca off Whidbey Island in Washington State. The baby orca is a member of "J" pod, often seen in Johnstone Strait in the summer.

The baby has been named "J43". For those of you who feel that the name leaves something to the imagination, rest assured it is temporary. Baby orcas are not assigned a name until they survive their first year of life. I'm thinking it should be named "Webster".

It will be exciting to be on the lookout for this new arrival in 2008 when kayaking in Johnstone Strait .

Anyone planning a baby shower - mother orca requests, in lieu of money or flowers, that salmon would be an appropriate gift.

kayak trips -- what did that whale say?

On one of our kayak trips in Johnstone Strait, you'll see orcas swimming together in pods. Just like the photo above. They're always talking, being very social creatures. Which means, of course, that our adopted whale is also very social.

We know this thanks to the research done by scientists, including those at killerwhale.org.
Whales talk to each other using their own form of words, which are whistles, squeaks and whines. And in each pod, they have their own "dialect". There are groups of pods with similar dialects, and these groups are called clans.

Our own adopted whale is part of the D1 pod, and the D1 pod belongs to the A-clan. The A-clan is made up of 10 pods with related dialects.

If only we knew whale talk, we'd be off to talk to our adopted whale pretty darn quick. Unfortunately, we need the scientists as interpretors.

kayaking trip -- and visit the Titanic exhibit too

Kayaking with Orcas has an added advantage this year -- the Titanic exhibit is at Victoria's Royal BC Museum.

We travel to Vancouver Island on our kayaking trip, so it's easy to make your way over to that end of the Island.

I visited the exhibit this past weekend, and was handed the pass as I entered. On the reverse was info on an actual passenger who boarded the ill-fated vessel. It wasn't until the end of the exhibit that I found out whether I survived or not. Given I was a third class passenger, I didn't have a lot of hope.

Great display. Starts off with artifacts and information on the building of the Titanic and how passengers of all classes traveled.

Things turned sinister as I walked further along. But we expect that, right?

I won't list any spoiling details, but sure seems fated to have happened given all the circumstances that came together.

And the best news of all was that even though I was in third class, I survived!

kayaking trip bc -- Mom's the word

OK, back to our adopted whale from www.killerwhale.org. Remember, before the big reveal of who exactly our adoptee is, we're going to be giving a few clues.

When you go on one of our kayak trips in Johnstone Strait and encounter the beautiful orcas, you'll have to think of Mom. Because resident killer whale pods are family groups structured around mothers. Yup, mom's are household leaders in the orca world. Sons, daughters (and her daughters' kids) stay with mom throughout their lives. No moving out and making it on your own in this tough underwater world.

Our own adoptee is the first calf of... Cascade. Our adoptee also has 3 aunts and a couple of female cousins.

Guiding a Kayaking Trip in BC – what exactly is involved?

I have always been struck with the use of the word “guide” to describe what we do. It’s limiting, in the sense that it leaves the perception that our role is getting from point A to point B.

The word “facilitator” seems more appropriate. Although not as adventurous, it more accurately defines the spectrum of knowledge and duties that our leaders must possess.

Not only are we focused on skills such as technique, safety, knowledge of weather, currents, tides, navigation, route finding but must be aware of group dynamics, individual goals, be empathetic, patient. Couple all this with being a good chef, offering a natural, cultural, historical database and you get an idea of the complexity of our role.

And why do we accept this demanding role? That’s the topic of our next posting. (And no, we haven't forgotten about our adopted whale. We'll soon get back to that important topic.)

If you were an orca, where would you go for winter?

Our adopted killer whale -- name yet to be revealed! -- hangs out in the waters off northern Vancouver Island, plus the mainland coast as far north as southeast Alaska. You may well spot our adoptee on one of our kayak trips to Johnstone Strait, where the pod (family of orcas) hangs out.

But noone knows where they go in the winter.


Well, of course the orcas know. But they're not telling...

Like any proud parent, we need to show a photo

So here you see a photo of our adopted whale. A beauty, no? And this photo is just the beginning... we're ready to s-l-o-w-l-y reveal facts until, voila, you'll then learn our new member's name.

As we announced yesterday, we've adopted a wild orca thanks to www.killerwhale.org. By adopting, we're helping fund research into these wonderful animals. Once you've seen these orcas frolicking in the ocean -- possible on a kayak trip in Johnstone Strait -- you'll want to do everything you can to ensure they don't ever go away.