The Orca Whales

The San Juan Islands are the best place in the world to view the Orcas in the wild!

The local Orca whale population in the San Juan Islands consists of three families, or pods. The families have been named  the "J", "K" and "L" pods. There are approximately 85 to 100 Killer Whales total in the three families  Killer Whales are not really whales. They are the largest of the dolphin family and can reach a length of 30 feet, and weigh about 9 tons.

The local Orca Whales have recently been placed under protection by the Federal Endanged Species Act. The impact of pollutants in our local waters and the diminished salmon runs are given as the leading reasons for this new classification. Our goal at Captain Bill Carli's Whale Watching Tours is to offer non- impact, educational, whale watching tours. This is accomplished by giving the Orca whales the respect they deserve, and the space that they need. They are magnificent animals.

Seeing an Orca whale in their natural habitat is the only way to truly appreciate the majesty they so richly deserve.

The below video is courtesy of the Center for Whale Research in the San Juan Islands ( http://www.whaleresearch.org ). The baby is believed to be the newest member of K pod and possibly bumps the Southern resident killer whale population to 88.