Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, July 18, 2026 | 2:00 PM
Minutes after returning home from the first adventure tour of the day, Captain Vaun and I executed what’s called a “turn and burn,” embarking on adventure #2 with a fresh group of whale enthusiasts. Though we had seen killer whales on our first trip, we truly did not know what to expect the second time around, as every single hour out on the water is different. The Bigg’s killer whales we left earlier had already traveled 15 miles across Haro Strait and into Canadian waters, a challenge M/V Kestrel, our speediest and most agile vessel, was fully prepared for.
The T109As were slowly traveling and resting off the east side of Sidney Island when we were reunited with them. They displayed a varied mix of slowly gathering at the surface to rest, slowly making their way south, going on deeper dives, and even spoiling us with a few looks at their tails towards the end of our time together. Today was my first turn and burn of the season, and it was quite special to have the opportunity to observe these whales throughout the day and get an extended view of how their behaviors had changed throughout the day. The matriarch Frio was with five of her children, including a tiny and very adorable calf named Weiss.
- 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
Today we gave our passengers a true taste of an Adventure Tour, traveling to and from Canada in the span of a few hours, with some wake and ocean spray, and of course, killer whales, in between.
Want more information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association? See https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/
Want to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/