The Southern Resident killer whales are a genetically and culturally distinct population of orcas within the Pacific Northwest and consist of three separate pods: J, K, and L Pods. L Pod is the largest pod out of the three Southern Resident pods.
On November 30, 2024, L Pod—all 35 of them—visited the Puget Sound. The first hint of the visit was orca calls and sounds on the Sunset Bay hydrophone at 6:10 am. By 1:10 p.m., they reached Point Robinson. It was a spectacular pass. There was tail slapping, porpoising, backstroking, and overall joyful behavior. For those on shore, the whales were almost close enough to touch. When they passed under Mount Rainier, Pacific Northwest beauty was on full display. A video of the pass that I took on that lucky day is below.