MAIACETUS: T10s in Swanson Channel today

This afternoon we departed at 2 pm with a full load of passengers on Five Star Charter's vessel the Supercat. Fortunately, the winds we'd been having the last couple of days finally came down and we were treated to flat calm waters and blue skies.

After departing the harbour we travelled East across the Victoria waterfront and into Haro Strait where we could look across to San Juan Island in Washington State. We were heading to a report of Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales in the north end Haro Strait. When we had left the harbour they were travelling near Mandarte Island...an important bird nesting area for southern Vancouver Island and the San Juan Islands.

Looking back behind the boat down Haro Strait

We ended up travelling an hour and a half to Swanson Channel where we finally caught up with the other whale watch boats and the whales who had been travelling northbound, away from us, when we left the dock. When we arrived we spotted the three Transient 'mammal eating' killer whales (Orcinus orca) who were the matrilineal group the T10s. This small group of Transients consists of a female and her two offspring T10B, a mature male, and T10C his younger sibling. In addition to seeing the whales we were also fortunate to have two mature bald eagles (Halieetus leucocephalus) fly overhead at just about the same time the whales were surfacing...making it very difficult for us to decide whether to photograph the whales or the eagles!

Transient male killer whale T10B

Transients T10B with younger sibling T10C

Male Transient killer whale T10B

Youngest offspring of T10, T10C

Female Transient killer whale T10 with son T10B

Male Transient killer whale T10B

When we first arrived the T10s were heading in a northerly direction up Swanson Channel. It appeared they might have been feeding because many gulls were circling and diving for what was likely to be scraps from the whales hunting a seal or a porpoise. After a few long 2 - 5 minute dives, with shorter surfacings in between, the whales changed direction and headed east across Swanson Channel and towards Pender Island.

Male Transient killer whale T10B in the distance

Around 4 pm we left the whales to start making our way back down Haro Strait and Victoria Harbour. It was a beautiful trip back with more flat calm seas and great views of the Olympic Mountains! We arrived back to the dock a little late...but it was definitely worth it as we had a wonderful sighting of these three Transient killer whales and the weather couldn't have been better!