Olivia Esqueda | September 4th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30pm
What an extra fun day out on the water! We left the harbor and immediately came across one of our favorite Transient Orcas- T065A3 traveling along the Shaw Island shoreline. This adventurous male was weaving between the Wasp Islands and through Spring Passage, until we slowly departed in search of other wildlife.
T065A3/Amir(a) — male, born in 2007
After traveling across the northern part of San Juan Channel and entering New Channel, we already came across one of our favorite matrilines, the T049A’s! They are one of the most documented matrilines out here and a family we see often. Because of this, they latched onto a special part of our hearts out and we often feel an extra sense of excitement seeing them. It was another wonderful encounter watching these Bigg’s Killer Whales socialize and seeing the youngest calves practicing life skills around the reefs of the Cactus Islands.
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
After our last looks with the orcas traveling along the south side of John’s Island and aiming for Stuart, we departed back towards Spieden Island where we saw lots wildlife. This included Bald Eagles, Oyster Catchers, a hunting Belted Kingfisher, swimming Steller’s Sea Lions, snoozing Harbor Seals, and grazing Sika Deer and Mouflon Sheep.
Wowzers, was this a wildlife packed day that DEFINITELY left us excited for the next trip!
Wanting 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/