October 7, 2024 – We left Friday Harbor and moved quickly South on the ebb current with news of Biggs/Transient orca T49C Northbound across Salmon Bank and then hunting near Long Island. Waters were glassy when we arrived to South Lopez and watched as T49C made his way along the Lopez shorleline to Cattle Pass and then took the narrow cut inside Deadman Island. North of Deadman he made a turn and began a sequence of multiple inverted tail slaps along the edge of a kelp patch before crossing Cattle Pass in a fast flowing ebb and then following the San Juan shoreline into Griffin Bay. After a visit to Fishermans Creek he travelled North and we left him to explore Deadman Island seeing harbor seals and a bald eagle and then the Steller Sea lions of Whale Rocks.
Out to Salmon Bank and we had 3 distant views of minke whale however with an erratic course he was hard to follow. With a report of more orcas, the T19’s with T60D and T60E, moving quickly Southbound from Lime Kiln we headed back towards Eagle Point where we met the 5 orcas. Travelling at first in two mixed groups and then moving offshore to Salmon Bank with a lot of playful activity, great calls on the hydrophone and breaches from T19C and T19. This was all against the backdrop of the late afternoon light over the Olympic mountain range, Mt Rainier and Mt Baker. The orcas traveled together passed Whale Rocks and then spread into groups through Cattle Pass passing either side of Deadman island. We left them travelling close to the Lopez shoreline and headed back towards Friday Harbor with an amazing mirrored sunset over the glassy calm waters. An amazing October sail.
Route map 10/7/24
Mt Baker
Bald eagle on rock
Biggs/Transient orca T49C milling in the kelp forest
Canada geese
Biggs/Transient orca T49C
Biggs/Transient orca T49C rostrum
Biggs/Transient orca T49C inverted tail lobbing
Biggs/Transient orca T49C inverted tail lobbing
Biggs/Transient orca T49C
Biggs/Transient orca T49C tail slapping
Biggs/Transient orca T49C doing a cartwheel
Biggs/Transient orca T49C inverted tail lobbing
Biggs/Transient orca T49C tail lobbing
Biggs/Transient orca T49C
Biggs/Transient orca T49C
Biggs/Transient orca T49C
Biggs/Transient orca T49C
Surf scoters
Harbor seal
Harbor seals by Deadman Island
Bald eagle overlooking Deadman Island
Steller Sea lions at Whale Rocks
Steller Sea lions at Whale Rocks
Biggs/Transient orca T60D off Eagle Pt, San Juan Island
Biggs/Transient orca T60D
Biggs/Transient orcas T19B and T60D
Biggs/Transient orca T19B off Eagle Pt
Biggs/Transient orcas T19C and T60E
Biggs/Transient orca T60D
Biggs/Transient orca T19C
Biggs/Transient orca T19C with Mt Rainier
Biggs/Transient orca T19C with Olympic Mountains
Biggs/Transient orca T60D with Olympic Mountains
Biggs/Transient orca with Olympic Mountains
Biggs/Transient orca T60D with Olympic Mountains
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s with T60D and T60E
Biggs/Transient orcas brothers T19B and T19C
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s with T60D and T60E
Biggs/Transient orca T19C
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s with T60D and T60E
Biggs/Transient orcas brothers T19B and T19C
Stunning scenery
Biggs/Transient orca with Olympic Mountains
Biggs/Transient orca with Olympic Mountains
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s
Sunset with Olympic Mountains
Biggs/Transient orca T19C breaching
Biggs/Transient orca T19C breaching
Biggs/Transient orca T19 breaching
Biggs/Transient orca T19C breaching
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s with T60D and T60E
Biggs/Transient orcas with Mt Rainier
Biggs/Transient orcas with Mt Rainier
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s with T60D and T60E
Orcas in the sunset with Olympic Mountains
Biggs/Transient orca T19C in the sunset
Biggs/Transient orca T60E in the sunset
Biggs/Transient orca T60E
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s with T60D and T60E with Cattle Pt
Biggs/Transient orcas T19B and T19C tail lobbing
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s with T60D and T60E with Cattle Pt
Biggs/Transient orcas T60E and T19C
Orca spy hop
Orca spy hop
Biggs/Transient orcas T19’s with T60D and T60E
Biggs/Transient orcas T60E and T19C
Orca T60E spy hop next to T19C
Biggs/Transient orca with Mt Baker in the sunset
Biggs/Transient orca T19B with Mt Baker in the sunset
Common murres
Biggs/Transient orcas T19C and T60E
Biggs/Transient orca T19C passing sleepy Steller Sea lions at Whale Rocks
Biggs/Transient orca T60E in sunset light
Biggs/Transient orca T19C passing Deadman Island
Cattle Pt Lighthouse, San Juan Island
Biggs/Transient orca with Lopez Island reflections
Biggs/Transient orca T19B with Lopez Island reflections
Incredible sunset over San Juan Island
Incredible sunset with reflections on the water
Sun breaking beneath the clouds
Incredible sunset after an amazing sail with whales