Lauren Tschirhart | September 2nd, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm
Our 2:00 pm Adventure Tour had an epic encounter with two different eco-types of killer whales today! Not only did we get to observe splashy social behavior from three different families of Bigg’s Killer Whales (a.k.a Transient Orcas) but we even got the rare opportunity to see Southern Resident Killer Whales as we motored back to Friday Harbor.
The M/V Kestrel departed Friday Harbor and made our way south in San Juan Channel. We cruised through Cattle Pass, continuing south in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We were heading south to follow up on a report of a T-Party that had formed in Hein Bank. A “T-Party” is when members of three or more families from the Transient Orca population are found hanging out together. A total of 12 whales were in this group, and it was made up of members from the T046B’s, the T100’s and the T123’s. The individual members of this T-Party were as follows:
- - T046B/Raksha — female, born in 1988
- - T046B4/Quiver — male, born in 2014
- - T046B6/Sol — female, born in 2019
- - T046B7/Tala — born in 2023
- - T046B8/Pi — born in 2026
- - T100/Hutchins — female, born around 1979
- T100C/Laurel — male, born in 2002
- T100F/Estrella — born in 2014
- - T123/Sidney — female, born in 1985
- - T123A/Stanley — male, born in 2000
- - T123C/Lucky — female, born in 2012
- - T123D/Darcy — female, born in 2018
We observed as these whales were socializing with one another. It was such a cool encounter. They were rolling around, rubbing their bodies on one another. There was lots of splashing, several tail slaps, and even a spy hop!
After departing these whales, we got word that members of J Pod and L Pod were reported just south of us, heading northwest in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. These two pods are a part of the Southern Resident Killer Whale population. Southern Residents are a critically endangered population of the Resident Killer Whale eco-type. Unfortunately there are only 76 Southern Residents alive today. Due to their endangered status, the boating regulations around these animals are very strict. The distance laws for motoring around these whales is staying a half nautical mile away from them, and always traveling seven knots or less when in their vicinity. These days, it’s extremely rare for these animals to even be spotted here in the Salish Sea, as they are not finding enough salmon here to sustain their nutrition needs. As we made our way back towards Friday Harbor, we started to see some whale action in the distance! Southern Residents are known to be very gregarious. They often display surface behavior, and we could see several breaches and spy hops in the distance! What an exciting and unexpected way to end our tour! We finally made our way back to Cattle Pass, making one last stop at whale rocks to view a bunch of hauled out Stellar Sea Lions. What a magical day on the water!
More information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/