Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, July 12th, 2025 | 2:00 PM
Today was pure insanity. In the waterways between Boundary Pass and south Strait of Georgia there were three unique Bigg’s Killer Whale sightings, all only a few miles from one another. The M/V Kestrel was spoiled for choice, but ultimately we decided to catch up with the whales that were furthest away, in hopes we could view them before they got out of range. We zoomed north in San Juan Channel, eventually cruising northeast into President’s Channel, then through Boundary Pass aimed for Eastpoint. The whales in this group consisted of members from three different matrilines. There were individuals from the T036A’s, the T049A’s and T037A1/Inyo an 18-year-old female that does not usually travel with the rest of the T037A’s. We watched as these 10 whales all headed northwest further into the Strait of Georgia. We left this group and headed over to the T077’s, a family of four who were found just north of Patos Island. Earlier in the day, the T077’s were also hanging out with the T046B’s and the T099’s, but by the time we got on scene, the families had all split up. We got beautiful looks at the T077’s and got a really nice pass of T077C/Neftali, a 19 year-old sprouting male.
The T035A’s and T038’s were traveling northeast in Boundary, so we decided to view them on our way back south. These whales swam right under Mount Baker, allowing for a beautiful photo opportunity! As we were watching these whales, Captain Vaun thought he saw a humpback whale blow in the distance. Sure enough he was right!
We ended our tour by observing BCX1057/Olympus and her calf. Olympus is the granddaughter of the infamous Big Mama. Big Mama was one of the first humpbacks that started utilizing this region again post whaling era. She first arrived here in the mid-90’s and has been coming here annually ever since. We were in the presence of Salish Sea humpback royalty! I honestly think Olympus’s calf was the highlight of the day. This little humpback spent lots of time at the surface, putting smiles on all of our faces! I truly don’t think I’ve ever seen that many individual sightings of whales in a single trip. I’ve been lucky enough to see large groups of whales all swimming together, but to see that many spread out in different groups, only a few miles from one another is pretty rare. Not to mention a surprise, mom and calf humpback pair. What a brilliant day on the water!