Aly Liu | M/V Sea Lion | Sunday, August 9, 2026 | 5:30 pm
Cruising through the San Juans during golden hour during the summer isn’t exactly a terrible experience. Especially when there are killer whales. The opportunity to spend time with these animals in the evening is a special experience, as the Salish Sea is quieting down and the evergreen trees blanketing the islands are a glimmering golden orange.
We usually say that our first looks are never our best looks as approaching a wildlife scene, but today, that did not necessarily hold true. Too many dorsal fins to count cut through the surface of the water just off Turn Point on Stuart Island. It was a T-party, or group of killer whales gathering from three different families:
- T100/Hutchins — female, born around 1979
- T100C/Laurel — male, born in 2002
- T100F/Estrella — male, born in 2014
- T036B/Tattertip — female, born in 1998
- T036B1/Bhotia — female, born in 2009
- T036B1A/Maple — female, born in 2025
- T036B2/Greenfelder — female, born in 2013
- T036B4/Auk — born in 2024
- T036B1/Bhotia — female, born in 2009
- T137A/Jack — male, born in 2002
Magic is the word that comes to wind when describing our time together; these Bigg’s killer whales exhibited a plethora of social behaviors as they swam slowly side-by-side, spyhopping and doing handstands. Jack, one of the two big males present, was traveling further out from the group, and then decided to rejoin the party towards the tail-end.
We concluded the beautiful evening through Spieden Channel to view Moufflon sheep and bald eagles on the south side of Spieden Island, and finally, through San Juan Channel to Friday Harbor.
Check out the photos from today at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/
More information on the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/