Kelly Klein | May 13th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30pm
We took a left outside Friday Harbor and pointed north in San Juan Channel. Almost instantaneously, we were treated to a bald eagle sitting high in the evergreens as we cruised toward the nearest whale report. A quick 15 minute transit and we were on scene with 6 orcas identified as the T49a's, consisting of:
- 049A/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
The T49as have undoubtably become the stars of our 2026 whales watch season so far! This charming family includes mom and her 5 youngest children. One of which is nicknamed Charlie (after Charlie chin) for his adorable underbite. Not to mention that this family has a brand newborn baby, T049A7/Nimbus! Just under 2 months old, this fresh orca still has a yellow/orange hue to its white markings. This coloration fades slowly over the 1st year of life. Nimbus is full of energy and would often burst from the water a few times before the rest of the family would appear. We peeled off scene from the orcas to explore Spieden Island. Steller sea lions lounged along Green Point as we slowly cruised north up the islands west side. Mouflon sheep were especially abundant today! We watched what appeared to be over 100 of these animals gallop in herds along the barren hillside. A few large rams even crashing their massive horns together in the chaos.