Abby | M/V Kestrel | May 16th, 2026 | 2:00pm
We started our trip today with two separate reports of Bigg's Killer Whales within our range. It wasn't long after getting out of Friday Harbor before we arrived on scene with the first group that was already identified as the T049A's.
- T049A/Nan — female, born in 1986
- T049A3/Nat — male, born in 2011
- T049A4/Neptune — male, born in 2014
- T049A5/Nebula — female, born in 2017
- T049A6/Charlie II — male, born in 2022
- T049A7*/Nimbus — born in 2026
We first arrived on scene with them near Green Point on Spieden Island. This group of six had long down times and were milling about and certainly keeping us on our toes. There were numerous times today where we turned off the engine to merely sit and listen to where they might be. Sure enough, quite a few of their surfacings today were heard first before we had eyes on them. We were with them as they zig zagged north and we left them around White Rocks near Waldron Island. We had some wonderful looks of this family, and when it was time to peel away and head towards another report of Bigg's Killer Whales that were not too far away. We could even see the exhales of this next group while we were with the 49A's. This next group was already identified as 7 more Bigg's Killer Whales, but from two different families. They were the T090's and the T124A4's.
- T090/Eagle — female, born in 1980
- T090B/Piglet — male, born in 2006
- T090C/Tigger — female, born in 2010
- T090D/Kanga — female, born in 2017
- T124A4/Sabio — female, born in 2010
- T124A4A/Strix — female, born in 2021
- T124A1A/Sabine — female, born in 2024
This group of seven were transiting west along the north side of Spieden Island. The current was quite strong, so they were on the treadmill going against the current as we were with them. Today was a beautiful day on the water and we had great views of their exhales in the sunlight and their bodies in the green hued water. Today was essentially two whale watches in one, and I couldn't ask for a better trip!
Wanting to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at:https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/
More information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/