September 30, 2026 – With a report of 15 orcas (T35A’s, T49A’s (minus T49A1 and T49A2) with T50B1 and T50D) in Spieden Channel we moved north quickly against the flood current. Passing Jones Island we saw two bald eagles and rode the ebb current into New Channel. The orcas had moved north coming around Turn Point. T49C had left the group eastbound in New Channel but we did not see him. We kept our good speed through New Channel and on to the southern coastline of Stuart Island. As we reached Lovers Leap and Turn Point Lighthouse the orcas were continuing northbound into Swanson Channel fairly quickly. We made a decision to go for it and kept sailing north. Near the top of Moresby we met another group of orcas, the T60’s with T59A4, trailing the others by about 2 1/2 miles moving fast. After sailing parallel to them we decided to move ahead to see the larger group. They were in two mixed groups and one had gone into Active Pass. We noticed the other group heading northwest into Trincomali Channel so we went to see them. The group that had gone into Active Pass came back out and they all joined up to travel northwest. We left them to head back and met the T60’s and T59A4 who did go into Active Pass eastbound. Our route home went by way of Navy Channel to Blunden Island, to Ripple Island and New Channel, Green Pt and back down San Juan Channel. We saw one Steller sea lion hauled out at Green Pt. There had been a humpback circling in New Channel a few hours earlier but we didn’t see it. Side note: The members from the T50’s are very rare visitors who have been reported in rivers in Oregon and southeast Alaska.
