Olivia Esqueda | May 10th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30pm
This Sunday truly ended up being the most wonderful Mother’s Day Trip. The weather brightened up after a chilly week, and it was warm out there in San Juan Channel. And on top of that, we had Bigg’s Killer Whales found in San Juan Channel swimming towards Friday Harbor shortly before we left the dock. This meant we never had the chance to pick up speed before we came across them!
The T049A’s have been hanging around a lot in the last few months, which has been such a gift to all of us! With the new calf [first spotted in February 2026] energetically in tow, we watched as they cruised along the Shaw Island shoreline. T049A [Nan, female born in 1986] is a productive mom who definitely has her hands [fins?] full! While only five of her calves were with her today, she actually has seven!
With this ecotype of killer whale, all the dispersal comes from the females. Typically, once they have a couple calves of their own, they will split off into their own matriline. This means that T049A was the first-born female of T049 who split off and moves around with her calves. While it’s hard not to anthropomorphize, it’s kind of like moving out of the family home! With T049A5 being her only daughter [TBD on the gender of T049A7], she will eventually split off once she has calves and they will be known as the T049A5’s! Unlike elephants, the males, albeit the fact that there are always outliers, tend to stay with their mother’s their whole lives!
We split off and had the opportunity to go on a see many Bald Eagles, including one feeding on the ground at Spieden Island, Steller’s Sea Lions whipping around food within a bait ball, snoozing Harbor Seals, grazing Mouflon Sheep, and milling Harbor Porpoise. It was an active day!
While every day out on the water is unique, one thing is certainly clear: it’s always Mother’s Day for Orcas-and our mom’s too!
Wanting 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/