Abby | M/V Osprey | August 19th, 2026 | 12:30 pm
What an epic day! Today's trip is one for the books! We left our dock today as soon as we finished boarding because we had a report of 24 Bigg's (or Transient) Killer Whales that were far away. 24! When we have numerous matrilines’ of these killer whales coming together, we call it a T-Party (T being for Transient). The families that were in this report were the T035's, T036A's, T049A's, T065, T063, and the T100's. Such a diverse group today that made this trip even more special. Chainsaw and his mom were some of the older individuals in this group, being more than 50 years old, and we had new calves that were born just this year! Absolutely incredible that we were able to have this opportunity today and share it with everyone on board. Generally, in T-Parties we see more surface activity, such as splashing, tail slaps, and pectoral slaps. All of which were behaviors we saw today, making for an even more memorable trip. Something I like to keep in mind for trips like these is: these whales would have been exhibiting the same behavior even if we weren't there to see them. They were simply exhibiting their normal behaviors, and we are lucky enough to have the means to witness it and share it with everyone on board. The Salish Sea is truly a remarkable place, and I am so grateful to be able to have days like today.
- T035/Rooby Roo — female, born in 1970
- T035A/Lester — female, born in 1998
- T035A1/Opal — female, born in 2010
- T035A1A* — born in 2026
- T035A2/Topaz — born in 2013
- T035A3/Garnet — born in 2018
- T035A5* — born in 2026
- T035A1/Opal — female, born in 2010
- T035A/Lester — female, born in 1998
- T036A/Leland — female, born in 1990
- T036A1/Tierna — female, born in 2005
- T036A1A/Drift — male, born in 2022
- T036A2/Kailas — female, born in 2012
- T036A2A/Rogue — born in 2025
- T036A3/Storm/Mike III — male, born in 2015
- T036A5/Squall — male, born in 2021
- T036A1/Tierna — female, born in 2005
- T049A/Nan — female, born in 1986
- T049A3/Nat — male, born in 2011
- T049A4/Neptune — male, born in 2014
- T049A5/Nebula — female, born in 2017
- T049A6/Charlie II — male, born in 2022
- T049A7*/Nimbus — born in 2026
- T065/Whidbey II — female, born before 1968
- T063 / Chainsaw — male, born in 1978
- T100/Hutchins — female, born around 1979
- T100C/Laurel — male, born in 2002
- T100F/Estrella — male, born in 2014
Want to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/
More information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/