Top Row: Leo Soloman’s photos from the 8/27/24 transient orca T-Party.

Bottom Row: Kurt Leipold’s shots of humpbacks Valiant and Scuttle on 8/25/24.

Aug 25

 

What. A. Day. We started off watching the T75Bs, who were heading north in San Juan Channel. They were swimming close together, giving glimpses of their eye patches and saddle patches. When we were leaving scene today, there was a sea lion snacking on what looked like an octopus.

On our journey home today, we got the opportunity to see some humpbacks. They were doing such unique behaviors! They were making sounds that I have never heard before. They were showing their full faces out of the water. Along with tail flukes, rolling, and pectoral fin waves. Very rare for humpbacks. It was absolutely spectacular!

The humpbacks were identified to be Valiant and Scuttle.

 

Aug 26

 

We had to book it out to Haro Strait today, where the T60 brothers and T75B’s had been spotted. As we got there the brothers were splitting off from the 75B’s, so we followed 60D&E. They were traveling through some smaller islands west of Sidney with long downtimes, but we got some good looks.

The brothers kept heading north, but we were able to meet back up with the 75B’s for a few minutes before we had to head back. We got to see the calf porpoising though! It was a pretty rainy ride back to Bellingham.

 

Aug 27

 

We went through Hale’s Pass and came around the tip of Lummi to some boats with the T36B’s and T137A & D. They were squirrely at first, but eventually came up close to the boat, and we got great looks at the 36B’s orange-fresh baby!

After a stint with them a bunch of other whales showed up for a full on T-Party. The T19’s and T49A’s were there, along with others. Everywhere you looked there were whales popping. One whale breached 10 times in a row, it was amazing! Lots of play behavior with whales everywhere.

 

Aug 28

We headed over to Sidney Island today to meet up with the T49A’s. It seemed like they were eating a fresh catch when we found them. They were circling, staying close to the surface. Then the younger ones got excited: we saw some tail slapping, a spy hop, and a breach!

Then the whales started circling a smaller island. We got some great close looks before we had to leave. On our way home we saw some sea lions playing King of the Hill on a navigational marker.

 

Aug 29

Today was an excellent day on the water! Incredibly smooth, with the sun shining, we headed west towards Spieden for favorable reports of whales.

We made a quick early stop at Viti rocks to look at harbor seals this morning, and saw several harbor porpoise by the Cone Islands. We

cruised through the middle to get to the T49As between Cactus Island and Spieden island.

There was a bit of porpoising behavior for them when we arrived on scene but then they went on a deep dive. When they finally showed their faces again, they popped up right in front of the boat! We got amazing looks of them surfacing together while we were in neutral.

On our way home, we got a humpback report in President’s Channel by Waldron Island.

We slowed down as we saw some surface blows from a distance, but then he went for a deep dive. The next surfacing startled us all, with a bit of whale spit right next to the boat.

 

Aug 30

We started the day at Eliza Rocks to view some of our harbor seal friends. There were many taking naps on the shoreline.

We went through the middle of the islands to search for whales, but there was no such luck. One of our fellow whale watching boats made a report of two orcas near Discovery Island. It was definitely a stretch for us, but we got to see T60E and T60D, the two brothers that often travel together, separate from their pod. We have seen the rest of their family earlier this season, so it was fun being able to see these two, and their massive dorsels.

 

Aug 31

Started with Viti Rocks with lots of harbor seals.

Headed south in Rosario to meet up with the T19s (no T18), but detoured to look at the Deception Pass Bridge to let everyone have lunch. We caught up with the whales at Kellet Ledge off the east coast of Lopez Island as they headed north. We went through the pass between James & Decatur Islands following them.

Then they started booking it north, and we followed all the way to Peapods. In Rosario we got some great views of all three surfacing together with Baker in the background.

We hadn’t seen this family in several years and was reminded how much fun they are.

Galiano & Sprouter are just so big!

We stopped for napping sea lions on the Boulder Reef can on our way home, too.