Far back in this thread I shared the picture below. It is of a Southern Resident orca in J pod nicknamed "Cappuccino." He approached our sailboat in the boudary waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington and the Gulf Islands of B.C. and dove under the bow of the boat. We were drifting at the time because of the regulations against powering near or approaching orcas. He sought us out, probably to make sure we were not a threat while the rest of the pod stayed farther off. It was the thrill of a lifetime.
Today in the news it said that Cappuccino is now near death. He has lost weight and is miles behind his pod. He is 35 years old and the average lifetime of male orcas is 30 years, so it's sad but not unexpected.
I snapped this photo when he surfaced after passing under our bow.
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