At 10:01 AM and 11:18 AM on the morning of the 26th, faint J calls were heard on OrcaSound hydrophone. The hydrophone is located underwater along the coastline between Snug Harbor and Andrew's Bay at San Juan Island. Many people scanned from shore but could not see any orcas. Soon after, some friends and I headed out on the water to join in the search. We departed Snug Harbor, motored over towards Sidney Island, and scanned around the nearby islands. We then headed back across Haro Strait and paused mid way to listen for blows and scan the shorelines of Stuart Island, Henry Island, and Moresby Island, before heading into Spieden Channel. After rounding Green Point, we turned up Boundary Pass, pausing to listen and scan more occasionally. Once we were off of East Point, we headed up Georgia Strait and then down Active Pass. Where was J pod? For fun, we decided to head up Trincomali Channel and check out the gorgeous Samsun Narrows, a pass between Saltspring and Vancouver Island.
As we traveled along the shoreline of Wallace Island, I noticed a distant dorsal fin that was either heading towards or away from us. As we slowed the boat and made our way over to the area I had last seen the orca, he suddenly surfaced close to the boat and continued down Trincomali Channel the way we had just been. The single male turned out to be T124C, an adult marine mammal eating Transient orca born in 1992. More of loner, he tends to travel away from his family.
As we traveled along the shoreline of Wallace Island, I noticed a distant dorsal fin that was either heading towards or away from us. As we slowed the boat and made our way over to the area I had last seen the orca, he suddenly surfaced close to the boat and continued down Trincomali Channel the way we had just been. The single male turned out to be T124C, an adult marine mammal eating Transient orca born in 1992. More of loner, he tends to travel away from his family.
T124C.
We paralleled him back down Trincomali for a bit and it wasn't long before he made a kill (probably a harbor seal). It was over quickly with just a some quick direction changes from T124C and then seagulls and bald eagles arrived to on scene pick up the scraps. Shortly after, he resumed traveling down the channel. We then heard a report that a good number of orcas, including a few males, had been seen heading South in Porlier Pass earlier in the morning. We wondered who those orcas were and if they could they still be in the vicinity. We left T124C to take a look around for a bit but came up empty handed. We headed back to T124C again for a few minutes before aiming for Samsun Narrows.
As we neared Bold Bluff Point, I was surprised to see a lots of blows and dorsal fins far up ahead of us. As we passed a beautiful waterfall and got a little closer, we could see that the orcas were split into two groups, one leading and one trailing. Both groups were mostly traveling quickly, sometimes even porpoising. As we neared the trailing group, we could see that, besides a female, a juvenile, and calf, it also contained three males. I recognized one of the males immediately as T102, which meant the other two males were probably his younger brothers, T101A and T101B, and that their mother, T101, was most likely in this group or the leading one. However, there was obviously another matriline around besides the four T101's. We soon were paralleling the trailing group at a respectful distance to find out who the other matriline was.
As we neared Bold Bluff Point, I was surprised to see a lots of blows and dorsal fins far up ahead of us. As we passed a beautiful waterfall and got a little closer, we could see that the orcas were split into two groups, one leading and one trailing. Both groups were mostly traveling quickly, sometimes even porpoising. As we neared the trailing group, we could see that, besides a female, a juvenile, and calf, it also contained three males. I recognized one of the males immediately as T102, which meant the other two males were probably his younger brothers, T101A and T101B, and that their mother, T101, was most likely in this group or the leading one. However, there was obviously another matriline around besides the four T101's. We soon were paralleling the trailing group at a respectful distance to find out who the other matriline was.
Adult male T102, born in 1984.
The trailing group ended up containing T101A, T101B, T102, plus T124A2, T124A3, and T124A2A from the T124A matriline. We stayed with the six orcas for awhile as they took us through Samsun Narrows towards Musgrave Landing.
T124A3, born in 2006, and T124A2A, born in 2013, surface high out of the water while heading down Samsun Narrows. T102 and T101A, born in 1993, begin to surface in the background.
The trailing group then slowed down and switched to the Vancouver Island side of the pass and we went to get ID's on the leading group, which was made up of T101, T124A, and T124A4. We did not see T124A1 or T124A5, so there were nine orcas in total. It wasn't long before the trailing group sped back up and began to gain on the leading group. The two groups may have come together for a moment before T101, T124A, and T124A4 aimed for Saanich Inlet and the trailing group slowed back down a little.
At one pontt, as we motored along at 7 knots, waiting for the trailing group to come back up from a deep dive, the orcas decided to suddenly pop up right behind us in our stern wake and surf the waves. In an attempt to stay at least 100 yards away from the orcas, we tried to discourage them from riding the wake by turning the boat slowly and gradually bringing our speed down. The orcas got the message and surfaced outside our wake and continued on their way, following the leading group for Saanich Inlet.
At one pontt, as we motored along at 7 knots, waiting for the trailing group to come back up from a deep dive, the orcas decided to suddenly pop up right behind us in our stern wake and surf the waves. In an attempt to stay at least 100 yards away from the orcas, we tried to discourage them from riding the wake by turning the boat slowly and gradually bringing our speed down. The orcas got the message and surfaced outside our wake and continued on their way, following the leading group for Saanich Inlet.
T124A2A, T101B, born in 1997, and T124A2, born 2001, surface after surfing our wake. T124A2 is T124A2A's mother.
Once in Saanich Inlet, we left the trailing group, who had started to speed back up again, and aimed for the leading group. The three traveled slowly down Saanich for a good chunk of time, the mist from their exhales hanging in the sunlight with each surfacing. They then seemed to chase something for a moment before porpoising down the inlet.
The matriarch T124A, born in 1984. She is mother to T124A2, T124A3, and T124A4, as well as T124A1 and T124A5 who were not present.
T124A4, born in 2010, and matriarch T101, born around 1973.
We waited for the trailing group to catch back up with us before getting our last looks in and heading back home. One of the males, most likely T102, started flirting with T124A2 as they passed us and even showed off his sea snake for her. By time we left the scene, the T101's and T124A's had led us almost half way down Saanich Inlet. What a wonderful day on the water with two unexpected encounters with marine mammal eating Transient orcas!! We were especially lucky to find the T101's and T124A's in a place like Samsun Narrows, one of my new favorite spots in the Salish Sea for its beauty.
Please do not use my photos without permission. Just ask.
Please do not use my photos without permission. Just ask.
