April 22, 2025: J Pod | Nanoose Bay, BC, Canada
Date: April 22, 2025
Location: Northwest Bay, Nanoose
Weather: Sunny, 12 C
Tide: Ebb
Pods/Individuals: J Pod
Total whale count: 27
Behaviors: Traveling and surface activity
Boat Count: 1
Observer: Kendra Nelson
Members of J Pod including new calf J63
Earth Day was extra special for Orca Conservancy this year! While Tamara (Director of Development) and Dr Bain (Chief Scientist) were attending Storming the Sound, Kendra (Board Secretary) had a surprise encounter with J Pod! Here is her encounter:
A report came in on Tuesday of a pod of orcas traveling south from French Creek Marina in Parksville, BC. I headed up to Beachcomber Park in Nanoose Bay, hoping to see the orcas as they continued to travel south towards Nanaimo.
Once I got down to the beach, I immediately started to see blows out from Rathtrevor Park. A lot more blows than I was anticipating for a group of transients, but T Parties are always a possibility. One thing that stood out, however, was how the whales lined up, a behavior I notice more with residents than transients, which was where it first crossed my mind that they could be residents. The whales continued south, aiming for Cottam Point, but then they began to turn toward the mouth of Northwest Bay. As they did, their eye patches and dorsal fins were more discernible, even while completely backlit, and they were clearly residents. And among them two tiny calves! This was indeed J Pod!
They completely turned into Northwest Bay, swimming fairly close to the shoreline, and continued all the way to the head of the bay by a marina and log sort. J16 Slick and J26 Mike were the last to pass Cottam Point, behind the bulk of the pod. Around 5:35, they began to exit the bay, passing close to shore near Beachcomber. As they passed, I got some great looks at the new calves, J62 and J63! J39 Mako was the closest to shore.
Once they passed Cottam Point, I made my way over to Es-hw Sme~nts Community Park. As Js came around Dorcas Point, they began to push offshore and became surface active. Breaching, tail slapping, and pec slapping as they moved further out into the Strait of Georgia.
Eventually, Js were spotted again off of Fillinger Park and Neck Point Park at dusk.
Thank you to all who shared sightings with Nanoose Whale Watch and the Comox Valley Wildlife Sightings page.
