June 23, 2025 – Headed South from Friday Harbor after a report of orcas coming through Cattle Pass. We drifted through Turn Island pass seeing harbor seals hauled out warming in the morning sun. Black oystercatcher and a bald eagle looked on. We me the Biggs orcas of the T49A family (minus T49A1 and T49A2 ) near Pear Point but instead of taking the coastline they took the fastest part of the flood current and zoomed up at times cruising at 9 knots or so keeping to the thin line on the fast flood. The orcas came back to the shoreline near Neck Point and came through the maze of the Wasp Islands. We sailed through the islands as the orcas continued North towards Presidents Channel. Moving on to Flattop Island to see the harbor seals on the sloping face of honeycombed sandstone and bald eagle nest. We met the orcas again and traveled with them to New Channel. The waters looked glassy despite the fast moving current. We observed the five orcas logging at the surface for quite a few minutes before they changed course back to Flattop Island where they did more logging. We wrapped around Spieden Island into Spieden Channel to meet the first born son of T49A, T49A1, who had just taken the narrow Mosquito Pass through Roche Harbor and was eastbound. We had hoped the family would meet up being in acoustical range of one another, but instead they went different directions.
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s in New Channel
Sailing by Turn Island
Harbor seals south of Turn Island
Bald eagle near Turn Island
Harbor seals south of Turn Island
Black oystercatcher
Biggs/Transient orca T49A3, San Juan Channel
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s, San Juan Channel
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s, San Juan Channel
Sailing whale watching
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s milling, San Juan Channel
Biggs/Transient orca T49A
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A with T49A6, San Juan Channel
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s, San Juan Channel
Sailing towards Nob Island
Harbor seals nervously watching as orcas were nearby
Glassy seas looking towards Spieden Island
Orcas Island and glassy seas
Spieden Island
Harbor seals, Flattop Island
Harbor seals, Flattop Island
Harbor seals, Flattop Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s south of Flattop Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s south of Flattop Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s south of Flattop Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s south of Flattop Island
Biggs/Transient orca T49A3 south of Flattop Island
Bald eagle near nest on Flattop Island
Harbor seals with glacial erratic, Flattop Island
Bald eagle on Flattop Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s in New Channel
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s in New Channel
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s in New Channel
Cactus Island
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s logging near Spieden Island
Pigeon guillemot
Harbor seals with glacial erratic
Biggs/Transient orcas T49A’s logging near Flattop Island
Biggs/Transient orca T49A3 with Flattop Island
Kildeer, Spieden Island
Canada geese with goslings, Spieden Island
Bald eagle near Spieden Island
Bald eagle on Spieden Island
View of Spieden Island
View in Spieden Channel looking west
Biggs/Transient orca T49A1, Spieden Channel
Biggs/Transient orca T49A1 nearing Limestone Pt, San Juan Island
Biggs/Transient orca T49A1
Biggs/Transient orca T49A1
McConnell Island
San Juan Island coastline
San Juan Island coastline by Pt Caution
Bald eagle outside Friday Harbor
Route map 6/23/25