Circumnavigating San Juan Island with Biggs/Transient Orcas T19's and T109A's

August 7, 2025 – A full day sail with a circumnavigation around San Juan Island. Our day began with a family of orcas known as the T19’s hunting by Discovery Island. Another family known as the T109A’s showed up and joined them and together they made easterly progress toward San Juan Island. We debated on going north or south but in the end decided on south. We came inside of Turn Island State Park and passed the nesting cormorants and gulls on Goose Island and many harbor seals hauled out. The flood current pushed the orcas north so we pressed on to catch up with them eventually meeting them at Henry Island. T19C was busy socializing with T109A4 while T19B was socializing with T109A5. As the groups neared Battleship Island the T19’s stopped to hunt near the Kelp forest while the T109A’s moved quickly in the flood current east in Spieden Channel. The T19’s stopped to hunt again near Barren Island before following the others eastbound. As they wrapped around Limestone Pt the T109A’s came inside O’Neal presumably hunting and eventually the T19’s did the same. We sailed alongside the T109A’s as they traveled down the coastline of San Juan Island with stunning backlit blows. After leaving the orcas to return to the harbor we realized the T109A’s had followed us into the harbor. An incredible sail with whales.