Biggs/Transient orcas T46B's pass Friday Harbor

July 5, 2021 – We left Friday Harbor and headed north along the San Juan coastline and branched off to check out the Wasp Islands. Cormorants were standing on Low Island with a bald eagle perched above them on a sign post. As we sailed along the south side of Yellow Island we stopped to see some harbor seals that were hauled out on the rocks on the west end of the island. A report came in of orcas northbound in San Juan Channel, so we changed course and sailed across the channel towards San Juan. With the tide against us pointing into wind we hugged the coastline again and motor sailed down the shoreline meeting the orcas outside of Friday Harbor. The orca family was known as the T46B’s. It was a busy day on the water after the July 4th holiday so we sailed up the channel getting some distant views of the orcas as they zig zagged northwest. The orcas changed their behavior from traveling to hunting and were taking very long dives at approximately 9 minutes long with each deep dive. This went on for quite some time. We didn’t see what they were interested in down below but somebody speculated an elephant seal. Eventually the orcas moved on towards Waldron Island and we cut back through the Wasp Islands once more and sailed back to Friday Harbor.