Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Sunday, September 6, 2026 | 2:00 PM
Every day here in the Salish Sea brings different repertoires of wildlife, in fact, every single hour on the water is different. This afternoon, our boat saw the same group of 11 Bigg’s Killer Whales, the T049As and T035As; however, they were ten miles further north, even deeper into Canadian waters. Today’s adventure tour surely lived up to its name, and those adventure suits came in handy during our nearly 70 mile round-trip!
Kestrel booked it north up San Juan Channel to Haro Strait, stopping at the northwestern-most point in the continental United States, Turn Point on Stuart Island. We made good time up to the Gulf Islands to relocate the reports Captain and I had left earlier that morning. Though it was a longer transit, it was absolutely worth it. This group of 11 included the same individual killer whales we saw with the morning tour, it was a completely new experience in a new area and with intimate surfacings with the engine shut down.
South side of Parker Island and Galiano Island:
- 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
- T035A/Lester — female, born in 1998
- T035A2/Topaz — born in 2013
- T035A3/Garnet — born in 2018
- T035A4/Agate — female, born in 2022
- T035A5 — born in 2026
After stopping at Flattop Island to see some harbor seals, we asked the passengers if they would be opposed to making a quick stop at Jones Island, as an entirely new family of Bigg’s killer whales happened to be on the way home. No one objected.
Jones Island:
- T065B/Chunk — female, born in 1993
- T065B1/Birdsall — male, born in 2011
- T065B2/Nettle/Corvis — male, born in 2019
- T065B3/Rook — male, born in 2023
Thank you to the enthusiastic and endearing group of passengers this afternoon, and special thanks to Stephanie for joining us for a third adventure tour in 24 hours!
More information on the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/