Double dose of Orcas! Hunting on Salmon Bank and southbound by Friday Harbor

May 11, 2026 – Raising sails as we left Friday Harbor for a beam reach down island on the ebb. Wing on wing through Turn Island Pass watched by the resting harbor seals warming in the morning sun. Picked up speed with news of a Steller’s sea lion hunt taking place by a large group of Biggs/Transient orcas at Salmon Bank. On route we saw an elephant seal hauled out moulting on the beach at Goose Island. We met the group of 10 orcas, T46B1’s, T46C2, T123’s and T65A3, still actively involved in the hunt. Many lunges from the adults with tail slaps and breaches mostly from the younger whales and some vocalisations on the hydrophone. On our return we sailed passed whale rocks where the Steller sea lions haul out. Our single sea otter was grooming while rolling in the kelp at Turn Rock. And we met more Bigg’s orcas, T86A1’s, T86A3, T90’s, T100E, and T124A4’s at Shaw island playfully traveling South where they would later meet the other group for a ’T’ party just outside of Cattle Pass.