July 8th, 2022
Abby Dahl
10am Kestrel
Captain Gabe and I zipped out of the harbor with hopes of seeing some Biggs killer whales spotted north. Rumor had it that they were the T065A’s, my favorite matriline in all the Salish Sea, quite possibly my favorite whales in the entire world.
The T065A’s are made up of:
- T065A “Artemis” (1986, Female, Mother of all listed below)
- T065A2 “Ooxjaa” (2004, Male)
- T065A3 “Amira” (2007, Gender Unknown)
- T065A4 “Ellifrit” (2011, Female)
- T065A5 “Elsie” (2014, Male)
- T065A6 “Callisto” (2018, Female)
I love this family group so much because they are wild and rambunctious with the most playful personalities. They frequent these waters and are one of the most beloved and sighted matrilines in the San Juan Islands. Ooxjaa, the male who has started sprouting his dorsal fin is large for being only 18 years old. He definitely exhibits angsty teen energy…
We had the most beautiful looks at these whales while talking heavily about conservation on board. I can only dream to have the kind of guests we had on board this day, curious and high energy folks.
We made out way back towards the harbor, stopping to see other wildlife on the way. Departing the vessel, we searched for our resident dock nudibranchs (sea slugs) and ended the tour on a high. How could it get better than seeing the T065A’s?