Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | July 3rd, 2026 | 2:00 pm
Today’s afternoon Kestrel trip was excited to get out on the water after a successful morning search. Since getting on the dock, another family of Bigg’s Killer Whales had been picked up in our area and were not too far from the harbor so we began heading towards that report. We traveled between Shaw and Lopez before slowing our speed… This group of killer whales was traveling west, heading between Shaw and Orcas Islands. I was happy to see some familiar whales that I hadn’t seen in a few weeks; The T99 matriline was back in the San Juans! This family of 5 is distinct with the large dorsal fin of 17 year old male Barakat alongside his mom and siblings, one of which T99B Holly has an incredibly distinct dorsal fin. As we got on scene, the group was a bit split up so we had Barakat, Holly, and one other closer to us while the other two family members were quite ahead of them. We could hear their exhalations as they traveled parallel to us; it is always amazing to hear this even from quite a distance. We watched this group slowly travel together until they were approaching the narrower Wasp Islands area, and then it was time for us to depart in search of other whales.
We continued east towards Thatcher Pass to catch up with another familiar family, the T46Bs, who had been continuing their travels around Decatur and slowly making their way north west from Thatcher. Spending time with this family after seeing the T99s was such a fun contrast since the 46Bs have so many young family members, including 2 babies born in 2023 (46B7 and 46B2B) and the newest addition T46B8 Pi born this year! This group was also split into two groups for most of our encounter, with T46B Raksha and her two youngest calves traveling closer to us while her daughter 46B2 Akela traveled with her calf and one of her siblings further away. Time with this ionic matriline is always so special, and we got to travel with them a ways as they zig zagged their way slowly northwest. The groups eventually joined together, which was right about when it was time for us to depart the area. We slowly made our way a half mile away before picking up some speed to continue back towards Upright Channel and head south in San Juan Channel. We reached Whale Rocks and got to see Stellar’s Sea Lions brawling on the rocks, and the swirling waters of Cattle Pass were also a fun change up to our otherwise smooth waters most of the day. To end our time, we cruised along the Lopez shoreline to see harbor seals, a bald eagle, and many other beautiful sea birds before making our way back towards the harbor.
Want 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/