Another triple hitter! Transients T99's, Minke whale "Sparkles" and Humpback MMX0006

August 26, 2019 – We had an incredible day – a pod of Biggs/Transient orcas known as the T99’s, a minke whale whom we’ve nicknamed “Sparkles”, and a humpback whale whom we confirmed was MMX0006 aka “Double Drop”.

It was great seeing the tail flukes of that massive humpback whale, and having that minke whale circle our boat at close range three times was amazing. Its not often we see humpbacks lunge feeding so we were in awe when it happened repeatedly in various bait balls full of diving birds.

The orcas are a family of four who cruised the coastline of Lopez deep into each nook and cranny. We encountered them shortly as we exited Cattle Pass. The orcas appeared to be hunting as they chased and turned different directions as the flood tide pulled them into the Pass. We noticed one nervous sea lion pop up next to them as the orcas were heading away from him – lucky guy! Another sea lion was swimming in the current and didn’t appear to even notice the orcas!

It was a magical day with a beautiful sail to our Lopez Island drop off destination. All went smoothly and we were on our way back to Friday Harbor.