Maxx | M/V Sea Lion | September 6th 2024 | 12:30pm
Today’s whale watch was nothing short of spectacular: two families of Bigg’s Killer Whales were actively making their way down the San Juan Channel as we began our tour so we made our way up to them in no time. Both the T018s and T049As have taken a liking to the region lately and are without a doubt my most frequently spotted whales of the 2024 season.
From our understanding, these families are unrelated, yet they traveled in this moment as one unit; a family of three (the T018s) meeting up with another mother and four of her six kids (the T049A’s). Now, I’d be ignorant to say with any sort of confidence how these families associated with one another but of course we have theories: Perhaps they were family friends. Maybe there was some courtship going on. Was there a birthday celebration we were unaware of? Or was this a mere coincidental or random meetup? I’m desperate to know how they think, how they associate with one another and with their environment but truthfully, I will never know.
They crossed the channel, slowly making their way to Jones Island before surfacing directly behind our vessel. With our engines shut down we sat silently as they passed, each whale surfacing with a loud exhalation before they continued onward. Sea Lion peeled away and made its way up and over Flattop island and through the Cactus island cluster, stopping to admire haul outs of Harbor seals as the sunned themselves.
We wrapped our way around Spieden Islands western corner, emerging in the Spieden Channel where we slowed to take in the stunning views of Garry Oak trees and the various non-native ungulates that occupy the private island. Fallow deer and Mouflon sheep grazed on the barren slopes, recent rain having encouraged new grass growth on the hillside. We kept a keen eye for bigfoot in the tree line as he’s been rumored to frequent Spieden as well, but alas, no luck. Accepting our sasquatch defeat we began our transit home, still elated by the insane whale viewing and stunning wildlife sightings of todays tour!