T2cs hunting near Skipjack Island National Wildlife Refuge

August 16, 2018 –  Headed North sailing wing on wing with the flood in our favor. Sailed around Low and inside Yellow Island with many harbor seals hauled out warming and resting in the midday sun. There were also Harbor seals on the Jones Island shoreline as we came through Spring Pass. We hugged the Orcas Island forested shoreline up Presidents Channel to Point Doughty seeing a number of Bald Eagles. Rounding the cliffs of Point Doughty we moved out to Parker Reef where we met the Transient Orca family the T2Cs. They became involved in hunting in very shallow waters on Orcas Island shoreline, a place we call ’The Ditch’. Many breaches and spy hops during the hunt. We sailed alongside at some distance as they moved North meeting again at Bare Rock. T2C2 travelled separately while they hunted and then rejoined as they caught their prey. He has scoliosis but that didn’t deter him from a couple of tail slaps during the hunt. We left again for a while to visit the North side of Skipjack Island National Wildlife Refuge and rejoined again during a hunt to the South of Skipjack. We drifted in silence while they were involved in a dramatic hunt with throwing of seals, rams and  breaches and spyhops. There were some calls on the hydrophone. They hunted again at Skipjack Island and we passed them to sail the North side of Waldron down to the dramatic cliffs of Point Disney. The sun set over Stuart Island as we crossed Presidents Channel down to Spring Pass and into San Juan Channel through Nob Island Pass.