I ended up at Sand Heads today way up north off of Vancouver with mammal eaters in Georgia Strait. The orcas were booking it south though. They were making 6 to 11 knots, only stopping to kill and eat. We had about 20 orcas spread out over a couple of miles.
When it came time to leave them, we made our way to Active Pass and eased our way in to view a lone male orca known as T124C. Then we bucked into the waves on our way back to Friday Harbor.
On the afternoon tour, I thought the southbound whales would be in Boundary Pass at least. The leaders went into Tumbo Channel and turned back north. While we were still figuring that out, we observed a Humpback Whale known by the name Stitch. Whenever I hear his name “Stitch,” I wonder – Where is Lilo?.
Eventually, we gave up on seeing the leading orcas and headed deeper into the Strait to view the T65A’s and T36A’s. They had just made a kill as we arrived on the scene. I could not tell what it was other than it was brown. I would guess a Stellar Sea Lion, but they have pretty much cleared out and headed for the sea.
After sharing the kill and seeing seagulls diving for leftover bits of blubber, they began to move south again. Other than the seas being rough, it was an amazing day. It was even more so, amazing because of the mammal eaters in Georgia Strait. Hoping they stick around for a while and we can see them tomorrow.
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