#T65A2

[snini-9]

Transients: T124A’s, T86A1, and T65′s

T65A, T65A6, adn T65A5

T124A3 and T124A3A

T65A2

T65A’s

T65A5 and T65A4

T124A, T86A1, and T124A6

T65A3

Photo Credit to the Center for Whale Research Encounter #38 - June 20, 2019

[cassie-barclay]

T65A2 and right by a boat. Love this photo.

[cetuselena]

T65A2.

[whaletalesorg]

Whale Tales is one in a large number of organizations dedicated to better understanding the mysterious lives of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Sightings networks, often with the help of citizen scientists, collaborate from coast to coast to coast in an effort to track, match, and protect cetaceans in all of the world’s oceans. If you've seen a whale head to our Sightings Network Page (link in bio) to see if there is a sightings network near you-and remember, while you're there to tell us your whale tale!⠀ Photo: T65A2 by @taslishaw #whaletales #whales #killerwhales #orca #sightings #citizenscience #getonaboat #storytelling #sharingiscaring #whalewatching

[respectanimalrights]

Transient orca T65A2, spyhops to get a better look at a group of Kayakers who took to the water July 1st, with Prince of Whales Whale Watching. 📸 Mark Malleson Photography #OrcasLiveinOceans #EmptyTheTanks #ThanksButNoTanks #SayNoToTheShow #DontBuyATicket #BiggsOrca #TransientOrca #WhaleWatching. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0qzQnRCQ_d/?igshid=1vm8lkayvaiji

[islandadventureswhales]

Anacortes Morning

With the sun breaking through the clouds, we left Cap Sante and made our way out into the heart of the Salish Sea. Some exciting swell was rolling north through Rosario Strait, earning us our sea legs early on in the day. As we approached Pointer Island the conditions smoothed out beautifully. Here we found glaucous-winged gulls and their chicks and a plethora of harbor seals hauled out. Due to the low tide, we were also able to see some purple Pisaster sea stars! We continued through the heart of the islands, passing through Thatcher and Pole passes and continuing north towards Stuart. A report of whales near the border had come in, so we gave the area a thorough scan before turning south through Johns Pass to follow up with another report of whales to the south. We met up with J pod at Kellet Bluff, watching as they worked the intense currents for their preferred salmon prey. It wasn’t all business today though; social encounters were interspersed amongst the foraging bouts as many members of the pod grouped up near Henry Island. Spyhops, breaches, and tail slaps interrupted the foraging bouts, but we weren’t complaining! As we made our turn for home, we took some time to cruise along the Spieden Island coastline, finding harbor seals and Canada geese as we went. In Pole Pass we found an osprey hovering above the shallow emerald waters of the pass, making for some beautiful looks. As we entered Rosario Strait, those on the bow were treated to an exciting harbor porpoise encounter as the little cetaceans worked the current lines. What a day!

Anacortes Afternoon

Can you say T-Party!? This evening’s trip was a true delight, with whales galore in addition to incredible eagle and harbor seal encounters! The journey started off with an eagle sighting by Captain Carl near Lawrence Point. The mature bald eagle was perched on a snag overlooking the emerald waters below. Its plumage was brilliantly illuminated in the evening light, making for some stunning photos. Even more so when it took flight and circled the bluff! Beautiful! Next up was a long cruise through the glassy waters that surrounded the outer islands, taking in the breathtaking views of the San Juan Archipelago and Canadian Gulf Islands as we went. We were in the middle of the US side of the Strait of Georgia when we met up with the T65As & T37As, two incredibly successful Bigg’s killer whale pods! The group was spread throughout the Strait, so we spent some time with T65A2 & T37A2 who were busy flirting at the surface. They would eventually turn our family-friendly tour into an X-rated whale watch…Can you say “pink sea snake”? Meanwhile the moms and youngsters were traveling in tight groups, giving the couple some space. All of a sudden, whales started breaching and tail slapping in every direction! It was clear communication, because immediately following, all the scattered groups turned and started high tailing it to a set location. When they converged, the party began with surface activity galore! Breaches, tail slaps, spyhops, pec slaps, porpoising! Pure magic. It’s hard to pick a favorite moment, but Calisto (T65A6) may have earned MVP for the evening with a truly stunning full breach/leap. We gave it a 9.5/10. We were pushing it on time, so we reluctantly left the whales to continue their party and made our way back to Anacortes. Along the way we visited with some black oyster catchers, a mature bald eagle, and a couple of darling mom-pup harbor seal pairs at the Sisters. What an incredible and memorable evening on the water!

Port Angeles

The Island Explorer departed from the dock at two ready and prepared for a day of fun sightings. The blue skies stood out this evening as the clouds hugged the olympics. Fishermen outlined the Ediz Hook ready to capture their days worth of salmon, some seagulls watched enviously from shore. Harbor Seals rested along the beach soaking up the sun. As the tour progressed so did the sightings. The Blue Skies allowed us some glances at Victoria, B.C. And since today's course directed us east we even got some awesome looks at the Dungeness Lighthouse. We saw several bait balls, a combination of birds ranging from Brandt's Cormorants to Pigeon Guillemots to Rhinoceros Auklets but the one sight we missed out on today was our whales. Even with the clouds and lack of whales, you can't complain about a day on the water in the olympic peninsula. It was a beautiful day out on the water nonetheless!

[snini-9]

T65A2 and the T65B′s

T65A2

T65B’s

T65B and T65A2

Photo Credit to the Center for Whale Research Encounter #41 - July 1, 2019

[whaletalesorg]

Transients in Vancouver Harbour. To read this story (and more!), follow the link in our bio⠀ Photo: T65A2 by @gary_j27⠀ #whaletales #whales #orca #killerwhale #orcaawarenessmonth #biggs #transient #getonaboat #yvr #exploreBC #vancouverisawesome

[whaletalesorg]

A Fabulous Interaction with at least 26 Bigg's (Transient) Killer Whales!⠀ To read this story (and more!), follow the link in our bio⠀ Photo: T65A2, T65A5, T65A, and T65A3 by @taslishaw ⠀ #whaletales #whales #orcaawarenessmonth #killerwhale #orca #getonaboat #storytelling #whalewatching ⠀

[whaletalesorg]

The T65A's Learn to Hunt! To read this story (and more!), follow the link in our bio⠀ Photo: T65A3 and T65A2 by @taslishaw ⠀ #whaletales #orca #killerwhale #orcaawarenessmonth #whales #storytelling #exploreBC #getonaboat #salishsea

[whaletalesorg]

T65A's and T65B's Hunt a Steller Sea Lion! To read this story (and more!), follow the link in our bio⠀ Photo: T65A2 by @gary_j27⠀ #whaletales #orca #killerwhale #biggs #transient #whalewatching #salishsea #gulfisands #exploreBC #storytelling #getonaboat

[islandadventureswhales]

Anacortes and Port Angeles

Anacortes

10AM

We pushed it to the limit today as far as timing went, going the extra mile to pack in as much wildlife as possible into our journey. The epic adventure started with a stop at the Peapod Island’s National Wildlife Refuge. With an extreme low tide, there was plenty of rock space for the seals to utilize. There must have been at least fifty hauled out here, with many pups in the mix. At the largest of the Peapods, there were at least four bald eagles calling to one another, and soaring in the thermals. It was a beautiful sight to witness. We continued on, cruising between Barnes and Clark Islands, then to the Sucia Archipelago. We stopped to check out the eagle nests on Ewing Island, also finding many pigeon guillemots in the process. At Clements Reef, we found dozens more harbor seals, including Captain Scott’s spirit animal, the ginger-bearded seal. Our search for whales took us into Canadian waters, past Active Pass and deep into the Strait of Georgia. It was humpback heaven out here, we were able to visit with five different whales! First up was Scoop, a mature female that greeted us with some pectoral fin slaps and several tail slaps! She mellowed out after those initial surface activities, and gave us some gorgeous looks at her fluke when she dove down deep, allowing us to ID her. A bit further north, there was a group of four humpbacks chilling side-by-side just beneath the surface. Amongst them was a young calf. Seeing this social interaction between so many was a true treat, although with no flukes shown we weren’t sure who all was present. As we were on scene with the humpbacks, we got word of orca whales to the south near the Bell Chains. Two species, a double header! We raced off in that direction and were thrilled to find the T65As (sans T65A2). This group of five Bigg’s Orca were scouting the shallow reefs for prey. All of a sudden, the water right alongside a small island covered in harbor seals exploded. Two of the kids were scouting for prey, pacing back and forth right along shore, wary harbor seals looking on in fright. This continued for some time before they found something. Then the water erupted once more as the two pursued an unlucky seal, circling their meal before tearing into it. Meanwhile mom and her youngest ones were off ahead, swimming onwards towards Tumbo. What an epic finale to an epic trip. Once we left the whales, we had to race back to the dock, making it just in time to board the next trip. The drive back was one of the more scenic routes through the islands, cruising past rugged coastlines and emerald waters, Mount Baker looking over us all the way.

4PM

We took a completely different route this evening than that taken this morning, turning south down Rosario and out into the greater Strait of Juan de Fuca. We stopped off at Bird Rocks, finding sleepy harbor seals, and many glacous-winged gulls and double-crested cormorants. The waters of Rosario Strait were positively glassy. With conditions this calm, we could see every harbor porpoise in the area break through the surface, meaning we weren't likely to miss any whales if they were around. We tucked in between South Lopez and Castle Island, finding pigeon guillemots and harbor seals. Smooth sailing through the Strait of Juan de Fuca brought us to Hein Bank where a minke whale or two were busy taking out bait balls. Between Port Angeles and Victoria we found the T46Bs and T46B1s seemingly finishing up dinner. With full bellies, and boundless energy undoubtedly fueled by the two calves in this group, they proceeded to play. Toddlers rolled over mother's at the surface, kids spyhopping and showing off flukes amidst the play. It was truly a delight to watch, and all with Mount Baker framing the scene. Eight orcas and so much surface activity, what a treat! On the return trip, we stopped at Smith Island to see what we could find. We lucked out, Captain Scott found puffins galore amidst a bait ball feeding frenzy. Glacous-winged gulls and Hermann's gulls were pounding down baitfish, while dogfish circled below. At one point, a tufted puffin, with a mouth full of fish, fled the scene when a dogfish swam a little too close for comfort. To top it all off, even Mount Rainer was fully visible to the south, its glaciers turning pink with the setting sun. What an amazing finale to a beautiful evening on the water. 

Port Angeles

9:30AM

A beautiful morning to start our wildlife tour with the Olympics in view and a few tankers in the harbor. As we rounded Ediz Hook a few harbor seals were playing near the beach along with many glaucous winged and heermans gulls. We also saw some cormorants and rhinocerous auklets. As we traveled west we ran into harbor porpoise near the Elwha river and got a peak at the snow covered peaks throught the Elwha valley. Our first whale was not far off and was a humpback whale. He proved to be a very difficult humpback staying down for 15 miutes at a time and moving off in erratic distances so we never got a really close look at him. Word came through that we had some incoming orcas and we decided to head out west to meet them. We found the T46B's incoming with their celebrity gray calf T'luk T46B1B. We enjoyed their company for quite awhile and watched as they surfed the incoming swells. It was quite a sight to witness and not one we often see. We eventually broke away to go check out Race Rocks with its beautiful lighthouse. A handful of harbor seals were close to the waters edge and many Steller sea lions were hauled out high up on the rocks. We could hear them growling as they argued about personal space. A lone California sea lion was resting on the rocks across from the stellers. Pigeon guillemots flew around the rocks and 2 black oyster catchers were seen. Heading back across the straits we kept looking for whales but all that was spotted were more harbor porpoise. A whirligig of red necked phalaropes were also seen. All in all was a very successful wildlife tour. -Lee

3:30PM

The water had laid down a bit from this morning as we aimed out of Port Angeles harbor on a northeasterly direction. We had a tip that there were orcas south of Constance Bank so we made our way towards them. On the way an eagle eyed passenger spotted a steller sea lion swimming quite rapidly at the surface heading due south. When we arrived on scene with the orcas it was obvious they were our Bigg's or transient marine mammal eating orcas so no surprise that our steller sea lion was making a mad dash away from them. We spent over an hour watching the T46B's as they traveled along heading east and then taking a southerly turn following some current lines. They never really spread out in true hunting mode but looked like they were sometimes spread out enough to possible snag a seal or seal lion. Though we saw no actual predation we had fun watching the younger calves as they cavorted around including our much sought after gray calf T46B1B T'luk just born this past winter. As they continued their southeasterly journey we had to pull ourselves away and head west. We continued until we reached the Elwha river where Capt Steve spotted our first humpback pair. They were going down for a good 8-10 minutes feeding deep and spending a little time on the surface . The first pair remain anonymous at this moment . The second feeding pair a little to the west were moving south along the current lines. One of the pair was BCZ0298 Split Fin with an unidentified friend. As we watched these two pairs we could see more blows in the distance of other pairs further west to us but the wind had picked up and time was growing short so we spent what little time we had left enjoying the company of these humpback whales before heading back to port. -Lee

[islandadventureswhales]

Port Angeles

9:30AMSuperpod of transients and a double header. Wow what a day we had. Sunny and warm with beautiful  calm seas as we passed through the harbor and out into the straits.  Harbor Seals  lazily watched us from the shore and the surf as we went by Ediz hook. We headed  out searching for whales and spotted a sea lion swimming along but he quickly disappeared into the depths. Not long into our trip we heard of incoming  orcas and there were lots of them. We hoped maybe our residents had returned but they turned out to be the transient orcas. We spotted a groups in the distance and headed that way and soon there were more groups popping up all over. It was a superpod of orcas  spread out socializing . we turned off the engines and lowered the hydrophone down and heard the most amazing vocals as they stopped and played near us. We know the T11's , the T60's and the T46B's were in the mix but there were so many others popping up. We watched them roll and spyhop  as they moved eastward. It even looked like one group made a kill along the way. As they continued east we decided to check out some humpback whales  a little further west of us and found BCZ0180 Monarch feeding and a second unknown humpback feeding nearby. we had some super looks  at their flukes as they dove and could even see a third humpback off in the distance. Since we were not far from racetracks we headed over there  to check out the lighthouse and all the pinnipeds. We could hear the California sea lions  barking way before we got there. The stellar sea lions were making a racket too as they growled at one another and the harbor seals rested in silence. We were even treated to Ollie the sea otter sleeping  in the kelp. What an awesome day!!!

Anacortes 10:00AM

To those who have been out with us before the day started off fairly similar to any other day: westbound down Guemes Channel, then south into Rosario Straight.  But once we got near by Deception Pass we took a turn and went under the bridge!  This is a fairly rare treat for our Anacortes tours and it does not happen all too often.  Once we were through the pass, the little bit of fog we were encountering cleared and gave us some beautiful views of the bridge.  We continued our journey southbound into Saratoga Passage which lies between Camano and Whidbey Islands.  There we were treated to spending time with the T100 transient orca family: T100, T100C, T100D, and T100E.  These animals were heading northbound toward Oak Harbor allowing us to spend over an hour with them!  We had beautiful weather conditions and were able to spend over an hour with these whales.  When it came time to head home we traveled past La Conner up the Swinomish Slough viewing several great blue herons, black oyster catchers and cormorants along the way.  What a way to spend the morning!

3:30PM

Leaving the dock under our continued sunny and warm skies, we made our first stop near Bird Rocks where we spotted several harbor seals and a Stellar sea lion hauled out warming themselves on the rocks.  We continued south toward the end of Lopez Island doing another slow down past Castle Rock and then continuing out to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  As we made our way into the Straight we came across the T65A and T37A transient groups of killer whales : T65A, T65A2, T65A3, T65A4 and T65A5, as well as, T37A, T37A2, T37A3 and T37A4.  These two groups seemed to just be milling around, continuing to stay in the same general area.  We spent some time with these whales and continued on the search for what else the evening might hold in store for us. We pushed further to the east and found the T11s (T11 and T11A) swimming toward Whidbey Island. Beautiful as they surfaced together. Then some other orcas caught my eye, we left the T11s and went to see who else we had in the vicinity. It was the T46Bs (T46B, T46B1, T46B1A, T46B2, T46B3 and T46B4). We had some nice looks as they cruised to the south. We turned and headed toward homeport. We stopped by north Smith Island and sharp-eyed, off-duty crew member, Sam, found us a tufted puffin near the kelp. Then, we started seeing more, and more tufted puffins. My guess is over 10 tufted puffins within a very small area! We cruised home in the beautiful evening light!

[islandadventureswhales]

Anacortes

Trip Highlights:

Transient Orca Super Pod!

Harbor Seals

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagles

SUPERPOD!!! Who needs fireworks on the 4th of July when you have a superpod of over 20 transient orcas breaching around the boat? It was a truly spectacular day on the water, which started off with harbor seals, a turkey vulture, and mature and juvenile bald eagles at Peapod Rocks. Next up was the T-party of the summer, a superpod of over 20 transient orca including the T46s and T65As. It was hard to know where to look, whales were breaching, tail slapping and zigzagging all over the place. The highlight came when they made an abrupt turn and surrounded our boat on all sides, continuing the breaching and active behavior all the while. It was a day for transients as we found another pod on the return trip home. Happy Fourth!

Port Angeles

Trip Highlights:

Two Happy Humpbacks

Ollie the Sea Otter

Harbor Seals

Mature Bald Eagles

Gorgeous 4th of July on the water! We started the trip with sunny blue skies and smooth sailing! Shortly out of the harbor, sharp eyed guests spotted the first blow right at the base of snowy Mt. Baker on the horizon. As we approached this whale, we realized there were actually two whales swimming side by side! One whale was ID'd as Zigzag bcx1193 and the other whales was unable to be identified. These whales were traveling west pretty steadily until they both began rolling and pec slapping at the same time!!! We even got a loud tonal blow that we could hear from the surface. The whales went down for a deeper dive and when they surfaced they were right in front of the bow, giving us a look up their blowholes! After this show we headed north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to race rocks. Here we found many harbor seals resting in the sunshine, Ollie the sea otter relaxing in the kelp, and a pair of mature bald eagles keeping guard on the rocks. We then turned back south and came across one lone humpback whale. We got one big beautiful all white tail shot before the whale went down for a dive lasting over 20 minutes! We then headed back to the dock to enjoy Port Angeles's festivities for Independence Day!

La Conner 

Trip Highlights:

Transient Killer Whale Super Pod

Lots of Bald Eagles

Harbor Porpoise

Six Pelicans

Left the slough - numerous gbhs. We joked we had an eagle party (about 8 in five minutes), little did we know the party we were going to be invited to later in the day. Osprey landed near its nest (no chicks visible).  Numerous pigeon guillemots near the bridge. Lots of porpoise as we exited to Rosario. Searched the Strait on our way to lunch. Lunch at Lopez. Off the dock, north in SJC to Upright Channel, through Harney Channel to Peavine Pass. Found T99s (T99, T99B, T99C and T99D)! Southbound. Watched them but wanted to get further north where there was another report. Transients EVERYWHERE!  T36, T37, T37A, T37A1, T37A2, T37A3, T37A4, T46, T46D, T46E, T46F, T122, T65A, T65A2, T65A3, T65A4, T65A5, T101, T102, T101A, T101B, T137, T137A, T137B, T137D. Spread out, then some of the groups came together. All southbound. A great “swim-by” by a nice group of eight animals! Couldn’t point our customers in a direction, because whales were everywhere! Eventually we had to head back home. Northside of the slough. Six pelicans wading in the water. Beautiful fourth of July on the water.

[islandadventureswhales]

Anacortes:

Anacortes Highlights:

T65A Transient Orca Family

Tons of Bald Eagles

Harbor Seals and Porpoise

We spent the afternoon with the T65A family of transient orcas.  This family is notorious as being some of the best hunters in the region, but fortunately (for local seals at least) we got to observe them in a more playful mood today.  We first met up with the pod near Sucia Island after a northbound journey in Rosario Strait and a stop at Peapod Rocks for bald eagles and harbor seals.  Upon arrival, we noticed the large (but still growing) male T65A2 cruising quickly along the Sucia shoreline while his sibling, T65A4, porpoised swiftly ahead.  The other three family members were slowly swimming nearby at first, but eventually they all met up together and began to make their rounds among the boats on scene, deliberately swimming up to just about every vessel to give them a close look.  When it was our turn, the whales approached us head-on toward the stern, coming up right behind the boat!  They then continued along the port side making sure everyone had no excuse to go home without checking "being up close and personal with an orca" off their bucket list!  Once the whales settled into a more slow and steady travel pattern, we decided to head off in search of more wildlife.  At the north end of Sucia Island we made a fun discovery - not only did we find two bald eagle nests, but one of them had an eaglet inside!  We cruised back along Lummi Island enjoying sunshine and calm waters the entire time.  

Port Angeles:

PA Highlights:

Bald Eagles

Harbor Seals

Northern Elephant Seals

Transient Killer Whales (Chainsaw!)

Overcast skies, but calm waters greeted us as we ventured out into Port Angeles Harbor.  We were able to see a big tanker fueling, or bunkering as it is called.  Our wildlife started right at Ediz Hook where a pair of mature bald eagles were perched.  One even scooped something out of the water as we watched. Harbor Seals were playing in the surf heads bobbing in and out.  We headed Northeast towards an area called the Rock Pile in search of whales. Capt Nate spied splashing in the distance and at first we thought it was a humpback whale making all that splashing, but it turned out to be a large group of transient (or marine mammal eating) orcas. They were coming our way.  As they got a bit closer we could see one large male in the group had a very distinctive dorsal fin. It turned out to be T63, more commonly known around here as Chainsaw!  He was traveling with T65B and T65B1, as well as T73s. We stayed with them for quite awhile and watched as they traveled and searched for food. As other whale watch boats started arriving we decided to go check out some other areas. We ambled over to Race Rocks still on the lookout and got great looks at the lighthouse. There were tons of hauled out harbor seals on the rocks and 1 lone California sea lion. To our delight we also found seven elephant seals; what a treat to see them! Another pair of bald eagles were on a ledge eating a snack while pigeon guillemots and comments buzzed around the island. On the way home we were lucky enough to run back into our transient orca friends still heading west after they had finished off a meal they had caught.  It was a beautiful sight seeing all those dorsal fins surfacing together and we even had them make some close passes.  We turned off the engines and we could hear the exhalations as they passed by us.  A perfect way to end the day.

Mature Bald Eagle About To Take Flight

Transient Killer Whale Known As Chainsaw

Northern Elephant Seals At Race Rocks Lighthouse