Episode 30 of After the Breach brings to the table a conversation we often have off the air. Joining us are Michael Weiss from the Center for Whale Research and Monika Wieland Shields from Orca Behavior Institute. Throughout our discussion we try to “demystify” killer whales. Being around these amazing animals sometimes has us seeing them through a human centric filter. It’s often easy to see ourselves in them and we think this is one of the many reasons people love them. But we also feel like it’s important to recognize that they are amazing creatures because they are social, intelligent individuals and they are not human. As we spend more and more time around them the more questions we have.

But there are a few persistent themes the four of us have heard about killer whales and we take this episode to address some of them. These may (or may not) be unpopular opinions but we hope they open some new conversations as we navigate this world as humans alongside other intelligent creatures. What we feel and do and think is probably not what they feel and do and think, even if we’d like to believe we’re like them or they’re like us. We don’t mean to diminish how impressive they are, but rather recenter that admiration and amazement outside of our human lens.

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you’d like to join Jeff and Sara on a trip then reach out to Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching to book! 

You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Links from this episode:

• Center for Whale Research: https://www.whaleresearch.com/

On Episode 29 co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, welcome Judith Scott to the show. Judith has been around the world watching whales and spends much of her year in Iceland with the killer whales of the North Atlantic. She gives an introduction to the killer whales they see regularly off of Iceland and shares some stories about those whales. These killer whales feed primarily on herring, but some of them will switch to prey on seals in the summer! The three chat about that and more. They also have her share some of her adventures in other parts of the world.

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you’d like to join Jeff and Sara on a trip then reach out to Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching to book! They also have their special After the Breach Workshop on August 24-25, 2024. Join the duo for two full days on the water (or just one if you prefer). There are a couple of spots left!

You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Links from this episode:

• Laki Tours: https://lakitours.com/

Photos from this episode:

On Episode 28 of After the Breach co-hosts Jeff and Sara dive into Steller’s sea lion hunts, recent sightings, and some good news surrounding T109A3A.

This spring has been one that has been filled with a lot of sea lion hunts. And for many of these hunts the whales involved have been, or included, the T049As. Jeff and Sara discuss what it’s like to witness those hunts and talk about a few recent ones, including a particularly brutal one they watched on the first all-day trip of the 2024 season.

After that they talk about the many groups whales that have been around recently and share some topics for upcoming episodes. If you have topics you’d like to hear about on the show don’t hesitate to send them via email!

If you’ve enjoyed listening and want to help support the podcast then share with any of your whale-loving friends and family. You can also leave reviews wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you’d like to join Jeff and Sara on a trip then reach out to Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching to book! They also have their special After the Breach Workshop on August 24-25, 2024. Join the duo for two full days on the water (or just one if you prefer). There are a couple of spots left!

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you’d like to join Jeff and Sara on a trip then reach out to Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching to book! They also have their special After the Breach Workshop on August 24-25, 2024. Join the duo for two full days on the water (or just one if you prefer). There are a couple of spots left!

You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Photos from this episode:

Sea lion hunt. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Prey sharing after a sea lion hunt. Photo by Jeff Friedman

T075Bs coming in hot to join the T049As after a sea lion predation. Photo by Jeff Friedman

T146s. Photo by Sara Shimazu

T146B. Photo by Sara Shimazu

T128. Photo by Sara Shimazu

On Episode 27 of After the Breach podcast co-hosts Jeff and Sara share all about the most recent sightings from the Salish Sea. It has been a busy few weeks whale-wise and the duo felt they needed to catch up about it almost as soon as they had finished recording the previous episode!

Dive in with them as they talk about the families that have been seen, a very quick sea lion hunt, and a new calf with one of their favorite families!

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Links from this episode:

The History of Cetacean Taxonomy and Nomenclature: https://youtu.be/ZAkUE60o2o8?si=l2xtliA02mM5HWOJ

Photos from this episode:

T19B breach. Photo by Jeff Friedman

T49As and T18s. Photo by Jeff Friedman

T63, "Chainsaw," with T65 and T65Bs. Photo by Jeff Friedman

T49A6, "Charlie II." Photo by Jeff Friedman

Episode 26 of After the Breach Podcast finds co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, reunited after Jeff’s trip to the Silver Bank to swim with humpback whales at the largest breeding ground in the world for North Atlantic humpback whales.

Jeff shares some of the amazing highlights from his time there, including swimming with a singer and spending time viewing a particularly energetic rowdy group. Jeff and Sara will be hosting a trip to the Silver Bank next year and one spot has opened up so be sure to get in touch if you’re interested in going!

Next, the two dive into recent sightings in the Salish Sea. There have been a lot of whales around recently and the duo talk about some of the families that have been around. They then share the sad news of the death of T109A3 who stranded and drowned near Zeballos on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Bay Cetology, headed by Jared Towers, is a great resource for updates on the unfolding situation as they attempt to reunite the two-year old calf of T109A3 with her extended family.

At the end of the episode, the two answer some listener requests and questions. They introduce the T124A matriline and answer a listener question of have we ever seen

any superpods. The definition of a superpod is when all three pods of the Southern Resident Community gather together. Every member of every matriline of every pod in the same area. The term often gets used to describe large gatherings or when most of the community is together but a true superpod is when every single whale in the SRKW community has come together.

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Photos from this episode:

Humpback on the Silver Bank, 2024. Photo by Jeff Friedman

Steller sea lion hunt. Photo by Sara Shimazu

L77 with new calf L124 in 2019. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Superpod in 2019. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Superpod in 2019. Photo by Jeff Friedman

On Episode 25 of After the Breach Podcast, co-hosts Jeff and Sara welcome back their friend and colleague, Gary Sutton. Aside from being a captain in the Salish Sea he has also been working with OceanWise as a researcher and he joins in to talk about the research he’s a part of and some exciting upcoming projects.

Before they get into that the three discuss the Northern Resident killer whales, which are a salmon-eating population similar to the Southern Resident killer whales that are a frequent topic of conversation. This population spends most of their time in the waters off northern Vancouver Island and along the central coast of British Columbia and even up into Alaska. While they are not infrequent visitors to the most northern reaches of the Salish Sea, the past few weeks have found three matrilines of Northern Resident killer whales visiting the waters of Howe Sound, where Jeff, Sara, and Gary all got to see them.

Gary shares some interesting foraging observations about his visit with the A23s, A25s, and A42s, while Jeff and Sara talk about their impromptu visit with them. For Jeff this was a reconnection with a whale that changed his life and for Sara this was her first visit with this ecotype.

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Links from this episode:

• Ocean Wise Research on Instagram

Photos from this episode:

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whale, A61 "Surge," photo by Jeff Friedman

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Jeff Friedman

Episode 24 of After the Breach is a long-awaited FAQ episode. Co-hosts, Jeff and Sara have been collecting questions from listeners and guests to Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching for a while and now they’re going to sit down and answer as many as they can. This will be the first FAQ episode but with the amount of questions received there will eventually be another one.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to go whale watching in the Salish Sea? A lot of people have! Jeff and Sara start off by answering some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding going whale watching here and what that entails. What time of year is best? What time of day? What if it rains? They get to all of these and more. Afterwards they dive into some more questions regarding the whales and also themselves.

If you have questions you haven’t asked then don’t worry! You can still submit them and they will keep them for future episodes. Feel free to write to Jeff and Sara through email, Instagram, or Facebook. And thank you for being a listener of After the Breach Podcast!

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Links from this episode:

• Maya's Legacy Whale Watching

Photos from this episode:

Special podcast guest, Sundae

Steller sea lion hunt, photo by Sara Shimazu

Steller sea lion hunt, photo by Sara Shimazu

Steller sea lion hunt, photo by Sara Shimazu

T18 spyhop, photo by Jeff Friedman

Episode 23 finds co-hosts Jeff and Sara back home in Washington State after their visit to Bremer Bay, Western Australia. Join these (more than) slightly jet-lagged whale enthusiasts as they chat once again with their friend and colleague, April Ryan, about their trip down under. This will be the last episode dedicated to their January trip though it will certainly come up once again in future episodes.

In this episode they share some more stories from their time down there and talk about one of the most intense hunts they saw of thirty-some killer whales pursuing a strap-toothed beaked whale. Also mentioned is a special little whale, Chopper, who is one of a few whales in the population who has no dorsal fin.

They wrap up the episode with some thoughts about the differences between whale watching culture here in the Pacific Northwest (and the United States) and in Australia.

A huge shoutout goes to Naturaliste Charters. Paul and his crew down there are amazing and dedicated to what they do. They run the killer whale tours from December through April and then run out of Augusta and Dunsborough the rest of the year for the north-bound and south-bound migrations. Make sure to follow along with their seasons and if you head down to Western Australia be sure to book a tour with them!

Links from this Episode

• Naturaliste Charters Whale Watching

Photos from this Episode

Socializing orcas. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Chopper. Photo by Jeff Friedman

Beaked whale predation. Photo by April Ryan

Episode 22 of After the Breach finds co-hosts, Sara and Jeff, still down in Bremer Bay, Western Australia with their friend and colleague, April Ryan. They have had so many encounters over the past two weeks and there’s so much to share! This time around the three of them share a quick highlight reel of just a few of the things that have stood out to them lately. They’ll have so much more to share once they’re back home (and rested!) but join them now to hear about what’s different for Sara from last year to this year, the patrolling whales that made a lasting impression on April, and Jeff’s memorable encounter with a juvenile who just seemed intrigued by the Go Pro camera the crew had in the water—and it wasn’t the first time for this particular whale! 

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Videos from this Episode:

Photos from this Episode

Bremer Canyon killer whales pursuing a beaked whale. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Orca kids prey sharing. Photo by April Ryan

Orcas prey sharing. Photo by Sara Shimazu.

Albatross with lunch on the fly. Photo by April Ryan

Orca teeth. Photo by Jeff Friedman

Episode 21 of After the Breach finds co-hosts, Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu, coming to you from on the road. The two are down in Bremer Bay, Western Australia for the month of January and with them is their colleague and episode guest, April Ryan, who joined them on Episode 8 “Orcas Take a Minke Whale”. The three have been out on the water nearly every day and after over a week of encounters with the orcas of the Bremer Canyon the three discuss first, second, and fourth impressions of this amazing population.

Where is the Bremer Canyon and who are these whales? Jeff and Sara introduce both as they set the stage for retellings of their stories of the past few days interspersed with information on what makes these whales and their ecosystem so special. April, who is visiting for the first time, shares her first impressions of this new-to-her population. The three of them talk about the power behind these whales as they chase their prey (mainly beaked whales, but they also eat fish!), the predation events they’ve witnessed, the new calf in one of the groups, and even four previously undocumented adult whales! WITH OPEN SADDLE PATCHES! What does it mean? Well, the truth is we don’t really know but they share their speculations and thought about that and so much more.

Before they sign off the episode Sara talks a bit about the research she’s doing and the interview she did with ABC Australia about the Bremer Canyon orcas.

If you’d like to get out on the water with Jeff and Sara you can sign up for a tour with Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington. Just make sure to let them know you listen to the podcast and would like to meet Jeff and Sara! And if you’re looking for an extra special whale trip our co-hosts will be offering another photo workshop in August 2024 and a trip to swim with humpback whales on the Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic in February 2025. There are only a few spots left between the two so definitely reach out to them if you’re interested in signing up!

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].

Links from this episode:

• Naturaliste Charters Whale Watching

Photos from this episode:

Open saddle patch on newly discovered whale in Bremer Canyon. Photo by Sara Shimazu

New calf in Bremer Canyon. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Bremer Canyon Orca, "Nibbles," surging to predation of beaked whale. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Beaked whale organs after predation. Photo by April Ryan

Beaked whale brain. Photo by April Ryan

More surging. Photo by Jeff Friedman