Lauren Tschirhart | August 22nd, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm
Today was one of those special days where we were observing orcas not even 20 minutes into our trip! We got word that the T109A’s had been picked up in Upright Channel, which is the body of water between Shaw and Lopez Island. Many folks are familiar with this channel as it is part of the Washington State Ferry Route to get to Friday Harbor. The M/V Osprey departed the dock and headed to Turn Rock to view our sea otter friend. After getting great looks at this furry little creature, we made our way across San Juan Channel and into Upright. The channel was busy, as the ferry was transiting through it, so we took our time making our way on scene. Before long we started seeing dorsal fins in the distance. The T109A’s is made up of a mom and her 5 kiddos. Their alphanumeric designations are as follows:
- - T109A/Frio/Runaway — female, born in 1990
- - T109A4/Garrett— male, born in 2012
- - T109A5/Argyle — born in 2014
- - T109A6/Riley — female, born in 2018
- - T109A7/Wieland — male, born in 2021
- - T109A8/Weiss — born in 2025
We watched these whales as they made their way into San Juan Channel and started pointing north along the Shaw Island shoreline. These whales kept tucking into shallow bays, which made me think they were going to try to find something to snack on. They did not end up hunting, but we got gorgeous looks at them as they traveled. Next we headed up San Juan Channel, aimed for Spieden Island. We were lucky enough to see a swimming Steller Sea Lion, mouflon sheep and hauled our harbor seals while cruising Spieden Channel. After our wildlife encounter, we headed back south and got one last look at the whales before heading back to the dock.
Want to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/
More information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/