Lauren Tschirhart | July 12th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm
Our guests aboard the M/V Osprey got to spend the day observing a group of 6 “Bigg’s” or Transient Orcas. We got to hangout with members of the T046B’s, the specific individuals present during today’s encounter were:
- T046B/Raksha — female, born in 1988
- T046B2/Akela — female, born in 2008
- T046B2B/Takaya — female, born in 2023
- T046B4/Quiver — male, born in 2014
- T046B7/Tala — (?) in 2023
- T046B8/Pi — female, born in 2026
- T046B2/Akela — female, born in 2008
We watched as these whales hugged the Shaw Island shoreline. It’s always heartwarming getting to witness these young orca families interact with one another. Today we had three whales under the age of three. The youngest of the group is T046B8/Pi who is thought to be just a few months old, and was just recently identified as female! The only visual identifier available when trying to figure out the sex of a new killer whale calf is by looking at their underbelly. The underbelly of a whale is only visible during certain surface behaviors, so sometimes years will pass before we ever figure it out. The T046B matriline is quite female heavy! The only confirmed male of the 8 calves born to T046B/Raksha is T046B4/Quiver! T046B7/Tala has yet to be identified as male or female!
We departed these whales and made our way north, eventually making our way through Spring Passage and into Boundary Pass. We cruised near Flattop Island, a National Wildlife Refuge, and observed several bald eagles as well as loads of harbor seals. There were two mom and pup pairs hauled out right near each other, which was such an adorable sight. July is peak harbor seal pupping season, so we've been seeing tons of miniature seals all along the coastlines. We waved goodbye to these cutie pinnipeds and made our way back to the dock.
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/