Maxx K. | M/V Osprey | 07/05/2021 | 5:30pm
There were only a few people booked for our sunset trip tonight but ohh boy were they in for a treat! When we left Friday harbor we turned north towards a family of Bigg’s Killer Whales we had seen earlier that morning, the T046B’s.
We followed alongside them for several minutes as they moved into Boundary Pass just north of the San Juan Channel. When we arrived on scene they had just successfully hunted a harbor porpoise, the family spread out along our starboard side and tail slapping and proposing along across the surface of the water.
I have to give huge props to my fellow naturalist, Laura. With keen eyes she spotted three more families entering the area as the rest of the boat was preoccupied watching this celebrating family. Before we knew it we were witnessing a killer whale reunion, a T-Party!
Seven whales emerged out of Plumper Sound, made up of two families: the T034’s and the T037’s. As they moved south a family of whales known as the T065A’s rounded the south side of Saturna Island, westward.
In total 18 whales gathered here in front of us, forcing me to wonder what the occasion might be? They never cease to amaze me: I’m so fortunate to watch these incredible animals almost daily, yet there’s still so much we don’t know about them. What are they thinking? Are they celebrating something? How were they able to coordinate this reunion so effectively? This is inherently why I love whale watching so much. Until we can think like a whale, they will forever maintain a significant element of mystery.
With spouts appearing on seemingly all sides of the boat, no one knew where best to look. However, before too long the T065A’s and the T046B’s met at our bow in what I can only describe as an Orca cuddle puddle. They rolled over one another for ten minutes before eventually diving and surfacing once again on the horizon. We then waved them goodbye and began our journey back home to Friday Harbor.
This was an absolutely insane evening out on the Salish Sea and one I won't soon forget.