Dorsal Fins of Orca
A distinguishing feature of Orca are their dorsal fins. A sighting of dorsal fins would be sign that Orca are present (or possibly another Cetacean). Male Orca have dorsal fins that can be up to 2-meters tall and are significantly taller than dorsal fins of female Orca. Because of the size of their dorsal fins, one can notice and observe a male Orca from a far distance, such as a few kilometers. Besides their fins, Orca display many behaviours at the surface which makes them easy to observe; these behaviours include breaching, spyhopping, and porpoising.
In this report, one sighting indicated Humpback whales were in close proximity to dolphins and interacting with them. At another location, Humpbacks chased off Orca that were close to them. It is always interesting to see the interactions between species of Cetaceans and in many of these cases, the intelligence of the whales is shown through their actions and is truly amazing.
Boaters, please use caution on the water. Federal laws require boats to remain at least 400-m away when viewing Southern Resident Orca and for other Cetaceans, laws require boats to remain at least 100-m from the whales/dolphins. Remember N.E.W.S. when you see a whale, meaning put your boat in NEUTRAL, ENJOY the view, WAIT till the whales are at a fair distance, and then SLOWLY leave the scene.
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