Olivia Esqueda | May 11th, 2025 | M/V Osprey | 12:30pm
It was a fun adventure out on the water today heading southwest almost all the way to Deception Pass, which bridges Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands! We were able to find the T100s, a matriline of Bigg’s Killer Whales. While this matriarch has a few other calves, this afternoon we saw T100 [Hutchins, female born in 1979] traveling with two of her calves, T100C [Laurel, male born in 2022] and T100F [Estrella, born in 2014]. We watched as they casually traveled along the shoreline of Fidalgo Island, taking their time moving south closer to Whidbey. We had many excited folks on board who have never seen an orca before, which makes it even more thrilling!
After leaving the scene, we showed off the Transient Orca Photo ID catalog we have on board, displaying how unique they all are as individuals. Working our way back towards Cattle Pass, we stopped to view some Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out at Whale Rocks and even spotted a Brown Pelican [which are not native to this area]!! Moving up San Juan Channel, the wildlife sightings continued as we spotted a few Harbor Porpoise swimming along the current. Every day has been so unique this spring, we are always looking forward to getting back out on the water!