Kelly | M/V Osprey | Sunday, June 29th 2025 | 12:30 PM
Goodbye Junuary! Hello proper summer weather! The sun was out and beating down as we left Friday harbor and set course up San Juan Channel. The breeze felt amazing as we picked up speed- instantly cooling everything down. Just outside presidents channel, we began to slow our speed to under 7 knots. In the distance...dorsal fins came into view! 4 distinct fins began to emerge from the water belonging to none other than... the T123's! Including:
- T123/Sidney — female, born in 1985
- T123A/Stanley — male, born in 2000
- T123C/Lucky — female, born in 2012
- T123D/Darcy — female, born in 2018
For most of our encounter with this family, T123A "Stanley" was separated from Mom and his younger siblings. Needed some alone time? Hunting Strategy? At one point, one of the younger whales rolled at the surface, showing off those paddle shaped pectoral fins and white belly! For the most part, It certainty seemed like the family was in stealth mode, moving over to patrol tight to Waldron islands shoreline.
Our next stop was White Rock. It has been quite a while since I've been to this delightful wildlife hotspot. Always bustling, this rock hosts a variety of wildlife including harbor seals, bald eagles, oystercatchers, and so much more. Today, White Rock was absolutely crawling with harbor seals! There were over 100 of these lovable pinnipeds lounging on the rocks. Because harbor seals have a fused pelvis, they're quite limited in their movements on land. We always describe it as being stuck in a sleeping bag and doing the worm to move around. Guests were delighted watching there sausage like bodies squirming up onto shore and plopping off into the water. The perfect end to our tour!