Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | September 8th, 2026 | 12:30pm
We departed Friday Harbor with haste, wasting not a moment as we set our sights far north into the Canadian gulf islands. Thankfully, the weather was nearly perfect, sunny skies and calm water accompanied us our entire journey. Guest’s and crew alike enjoyed the cool breeze as we made our way up San Juan Channel and eventually across the border.
We began to slow our speed as we approached a group of Killer whales along Salt Spring island’s shoreline! This was a group of 6 killer whales identified as the T49’s made up of:
- 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
One of my all-time favorite families! What a charming group of killer whales, especially little Charlie with that underbite-not to mention the adorable newborn, Nimbus. We watched this group as they surfaced erratically at first, eventually sticking close to the shoreline and giving as incredible a look at the entire family as they surfaced in sequence. The lighting was perfect for extended looks at those gorgeous exhales, backlight and glowing as the shot up like curling smokestacks. An unforgettable encounter that made the long journey all worth it!