Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | Thursday July 31st, 2025 | 2:00 pm
When the first sightings were reported for the day, I was not too surprised to hear that the T65Bs had been seen not too far from where we left them yesterday! It seems like this family enjoyed their time exploring the coast of Vancouver Island and continued all the way into the Saanich Inlet, so that was our destination when we left the dock. Captain Vaun and I had been to this inlet only once before, so we were excited to venture out again and see what the whales were up to today. We traveled steadily northwest, passing Spieden Island and Turn Point Lighthouse across the border into Canada. Eventually, we rounded the corner of the inlet and began traveling south. As we made our way further into the inlet, we soon saw a few boats ahead of us that were watching the T65Bs! They were traveling quite close to shore heading north, and they were so close together it was difficult to tell them apart at first. At first they were traveling slower, but suddenly we saw a few direction changes as they picked up some speed and appeared to be hunting! One reason we love seeing this family is that T65B Chunk seems to keep her family on a pretty regular hunting/eating schedule, so it was not too surprising to see them getting into some action. We watched them make a few very direct movements at the surface, including some small tail slaps, before they began taking some longer dives. It’s always amazing getting to see these small glimpses into their lives beneath the surface, and we could only guess what was fully going on when they were on these longer down times. Once they continued this slower travel behavior, it was time for us to begin our long drive back to Friday Harbor. With a slow cruise by Spieden Island, we viewed some moufflon sheep, more harbor seals, and a bald eagle, before returning to the harbor. Once again, I’m excited to see where the 65Bs decide to spend the next few days!