After the Breach Podcast

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.
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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 afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
 
Links from this episode:
Ocean Wise Research on Instagram
Gary Sutton on Instagram
Orcalab
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 afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
 
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
Beaked Whale Pursuit (Video)
Playful Whale (Reel)
Social Whales (Reel)
 
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! 
Enjoy these stories, plus a couple more, and get ready to hear a whole lot more in the coming weeks as the three of them return home, catch up on some sleep, and really process everything they’ve learned from the Bremer Canyon killer whales.
 
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 afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
 
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 afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
 
Links from this episode:
Naturaliste Charters Whale Watching
Naturaliste Charters on Instagram
Google Maps for Bremer Bay, Australia
Bremer Bay orcas 'healthiest on the globe' as numbers boom off Western Australia
Sara's Instagram
Jeff's Instagram
April's Instagram
Maya's Legacy 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
 
 
 
 

On this episode of After the Breach podcast, hosts Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu are joined by Monika Wieland Shields from Orca Behavior Institute to recap the season in numbers. We discuss sightings data for both Southern Resident killer whales (salmon eaters) and Bigg's killer whales (marine mammal eaters), and recap some incredible stories from our latest whale sightings around the San Juan Islands. 
We jump right in talking about a recent November superpod with all members of the Southern Resident orca population and how sightings of superpods in the inland waters of the Salish Sea have changed over the last 20 years. We discuss in detail how the presence of Southern Residents in the Salish Sea and how they are seen more frequently from October - March than their historical peak season of April - September. We talk about how their old patterns have completely filpped and what this may mean. We also point out the confusion in the general public created by having a population we don't see as often as we used to, yet there are media stories of record numbers of killer whale sightings, due to the dramatic increase of Bigg's killer whale sightings.
Our conversation transitions to the record setting number of Bigg's killer whale sightings and how each year since 2017 continues to break previous records. We talk about how much has changed in less than 10 years.
Our conversation continues to some recent Bigg's sightings, including a Minke whale hunt, a steller sea lion hunt, and a once in a lifetime moment for Monika (you'll have to listen to the podcast to hear the story). 
We conclude with another meet the matriline, this time with the T123s: Sydney (T123), Stanley (T123A), Lucky (T123C) and Darcy (T123D).    
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 afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
 
Links from this episode:
Orca Behavior Institute
Endangered Orcas, The Story of the Southern Residents, by Monika Wieland Shields 
Active Pass, BC
Video: Killer Whales Beached While Hunting Seals
Photos from this episode:
Photo by Sara Shimazu
Photo by Sara Shimazu
Photo by Sara Shimazu
Photo by Sara Shimazu
 

In mid-August two killer whales were observed to be trapped in Barnes Lake, near the small community of Coffman Cove, in Southeast Alaska. Through an amazing collaboration between residents of Coffman Cove, NOAA, scientists and others, the whales were successfully rescued and guided back to open water on September 29th. Jared Towers, director of Bay Cetology joins us to tell the story of the rescue and how he helped to guide the whales out of Barnes Lake.  
Our discussion begins with Jared talking about Barnes Lake, a saltwater lagoon with entrances to the north and south, and the challenges of getting in and out of the lake from open water. Jared also discusses an incident in 1994 when offshore killer whales were trapped in the same area for several weeks. He also discusses his involvement in previous killer whale rescues with T046C2 and T073B, the challenges of whale rescues and the available methods that can be used.
Jared helped to identify the two Bigg's killer whales that were trapped in Barnes Lake, T051, a 42-year-old male, and T049A2, a 16-year-old male. Prior to their sighting in Barnes Lake in mid-August they had been last reported together off the west coast of Vancouver Island on July 9th.
Our discussion with Jared covers the incredible collaboration that took place to rescue T051 and T049A2 and the detailed considerations and contextual knowledge behind the specific vocals he played to help guide the whales out of Barnes Lake. 
Jared tells the story in detail of how the first attempt failed to get the whales free through the kelp bed at the north entrance. He continues by describing how the team regrouped the following day to successfully free the two whales through the south entrance. 
Our discussion with Jared concludes by talking about Finwave, an online photo-identification database he helped develop to streamline identification and cataloguing sightings information, and how it is currently being used to track Bigg's killer whale data.
Sara and Jeff finish the episode talking briefly about recent whale sightings around the San Juan Islands and meet the matriline with the T049As.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Bay Cetology: https://baycetology.org/
Video of T051 and T049A2 exiting south channel: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyEcRjyPU7d/
Coffman Cove Residents Help Free Two Killer Whales From Barnes Lake: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/coffman-cove-residents-help-free-two-killer-whales-barnes-lake 
T073B plays with sailboat in Comox Harbor, 2018: https://youtu.be/J1d7HuP4ECI?feature=shared
Photos mentioned in this episode:
Barnes Lake and Coffman Cove from Google Maps
Photo by Jared Towers
Photo by Jared Towers
Photo by Jared Towers

The Center for Whale Research (CWR) is dedicated to the study and conservation of the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale population and also study the thriving Bigg's killer whale population. Joining us as our guests from CWR  are  Research Director, Dr. Michael Weiss, and Orca Survey Lead, Dave Ellifrit.
We cover a variety of topics in our discussion, filled with lots of great stories. We being talking about the census work conducted by CWR as well as behavioral observations from drones to observe social interactions, networks and prey sharing behavior. 
The discussion is full of fascinating stories, and we had to ask Dave to tell a few more stories, one about a legendary Bigg's killer whale hunt of a Minke whale, and a happy baby Southern Resident killer whale story. 
With so many great stories, we will surely have these two back on a future episode.
We finish our discussion talking about how the whales are so interdependent on each other and how social effects influence population trajectory. And of course we heard a few more topics interwoven into the conversation, from whales tossing their babies around to different body shapes, fat foreheads, and funny looking whales. 
The episode concludes with our latest sightings, including the continuing saga of T65A5 and an update on Jack's summer camp, and our meet the matriline with the T18s.
We have dates for our 2024 After the Breach Podcast Photo Workshop! Saturday August 24th and Sunday August 25th, 2024. You can sign up for both days or just one day. Email us or you can find details here.  
We also have dates for our 2025 week-long charter to see the humpbacks of the Silver Bank, which will be February 15-22, 2025. Stay tuned for more details. 
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Center for Whale Research: https://www.whaleresearch.com/
CWR New Vessel for Field Research: https://www.whaleresearch.com/post/new-vessel-will-open-up-new-opportunities-for-center-for-whale-research-fieldwork

There is often something special about September whales. Mid-August through mid-October is a favorite time to view whales in the Salish Sea, typically with an abundance of orcas, humpback whales and many days of beautiful fall lighting. Sara and Jeff begin this episode by sharing some highlights of this year's September whales, including a humpback playing with logs, humpbacks lunge feeding in krill blooms, and the many matrilines of Bigg's killer whales that have been in the area. 
The episode continues to highlight some of the many killer whale encounters and a recap of this year's After the Breach Podcast Photo Workshop. Over the two days of the workshop, in addition to humpback whales, we encountered a total of 48 individual Bigg's killer whales. We saw a total of 32 orcas each day in various groups. We talk about the memorable ending of day one, with a group or orcas nicknamed "Jack's summer camp," (an interesting split in matrilines we started talking about in episode 16) in epic late afternoon September lighting. We also talk about a very rare encounter with the T028As, a family that has not been documented since 2021, and the 109A2s, a family that has an 18 year old mom with 4 young kids!
The episode includes a section we almost forgot, meet the matriline, where we discuss the T36s. T36 is the mom of T36A and T36B, and also the presumed mom of T99 and T137. This makes her her responsible for 19 whales, including grandkids and her first great grandkid. 
We have dates for our 2024 After the Breach Podcast Photo Workshop! Saturday August 24th and Sunday August 25th, 2024. You can sign up for both days or just one day. Email us or you can find details here.  
On this episode we also discuss a bit about our 2025 Silver Bank week-long charter, which will be February 15-22, 2025. Stay tuned for more details. 
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
Photos from this episode:
Humpback whale, "Stitch," playing with logs. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching
 
Lunge feeding humpback whale. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching
 
Krill bloom at the surface. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching
 
End of day of the After the Breach Photo Workshop. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching