Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | March 30th, 2025 | 12:30pm
Everyone on board the M/V Sea Lion on this lovely Sunday afternoon had a hopeful and excited attitude as we left the harbor. I received so many thoughtful questions about the environment and all the impressive species that occupy it.
After taking a left out of Friday Harbor and heading up and out of San Juan Channel, our first stop was White Rock. White Rock is a hot spot for what we lovingly call our “Rock Sausages” aka harbor seals. We were lucky enough to catch White Rock during low tide. During this time, the most real estate is available for these lovable pinnipeds, and they certainly take advantage of inch. Today, this rock formation was absolutely covered in a gradient of silver sausage bodies.
After that quick stop, we wasted no time heading northeast. Someone in our network spotted a large group of killer whales in Canadian water, close to Eastpoint on Saturna Island. We travel directly through Boundary Pass and over the Canadian border to the reported location. Dorsal fin after dorsal fin arose from the water followed but a constant stream of exhales. It was very apparent immediately that this was a very large group of whales, 13 to be exact. They were in fact the mammal eating ecotype known as Bigg’s killer whales. We identified whales from 3 different family groups including:
T49A’s
- T49A Nan 1986 F
- T49A1 Noah 2001 M
- T49A3 Nat 2011 M
- T49A4 Neptune 2014 M
- T49A5 Nebula 2017 F
- T49A6 Charlie II 2022 M
T36A’s
- T36A Leland 1990 F
- T36A1 Tierna 2005 F
- T36A1A ----2022 ?
- T36A2 Kailas 2012 F
- T36A3 Storm 2015
- T36A5 Squall 2021 ?
T99’s
- T99B Holly 2007 F
Typically, Bigg’s killer whales stay in their small family groups, only occasionally coming together with other families to travel, socialize and hunt. We call these large groupings T-parties (T for transient, an alternative name for Biggs killer whales). This was a certified T-party! This massive group stayed close together for almost our entire encounter, only briefly splitting up with some proposing behavior right as we arrived. We watched them swim in unison towards Patos Island. By the end of our encounter the group had completely synced their breaths and were moving slowly with every surface. My best guess is that this group was taking a nap just as we finished our encounter.
After leaving the whales we cruised by Patos east side, pepped by gorgeous sandstone honeycombing next hugging Orcas island’s forested shoreline. We have had such wonderful luck here this spring season! I am happy to say that I’ve seen whales on all my tours so far (Knock on wood) and cannot wait to see what the next tour has in store!