Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 22th, 2026 | 2:00 pm
M/V Kestrel departed from the dock at Friday Harbor at 2:00pm today, and by 2:05pm we had sighted our first animal: a soaring bald eagle! We cruised in beautiful conditions up north to President’s Channel; the sea was a glossy emerald green reflecting the evergreen trees atop the San Juan Islands, and the skies were blanketed in cirrus clouds.
Captain Vaun and I jumped in excitement when we realized who was ahead; it was a matriline of orcas called the T002C’s! This was the first time we had seen these whales this season, and my first time meeting them ever! Such an experience doesn’t happen every day; what a treat.
Here is the matriarch and her offspring we were lucky enough to observe today:
- T002C / Tasu — female, born in 1989
- T002C1 / Rocky — male, born in 2002
- T002C3 / Lucy — born in 2011
- T002C5/Guardian — born in 2019
- T002C6/Yukon — born in 2025
This family of Bigg's killer whales kept us on our toes, oftentimes changing direction and level of dispersal. These behaviors, coupled with longer dive times, could be indicative that they were hunting! While we can never know for certain what these creatures are up to, what we know to be absolutely true is that these are highly intelligent and socially complex animals, and were likely foraging or simply enjoying each other’s presence. Whatever they were up to, it must have been a good time, as one of Tasu’s kids did a backwards cartwheel, showing off the lower half of its body in the air, rather gracefully!
I hope the sun felt as good on the orcas’ blubber as it did on our smiling faces this afternoon.
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/