T018, T019s

August 12
This afternoon (8/12) at about 12:45, following a hunch by Captain Ivan, we were lucky enough to be the boat that picked up the Transient orcas T19s between Patos and East Point. We watched the four whales - T18, T19, male T19B, and T19C - as they slowly circled the area. You can read the details of our adventure and see some photos on my blog. They stayed in Boundary Pass for the rest of the afternoon.
Monika Wieland, Naturalist aboard the Western ExplorerAugust 12
Transient killer whales T-19 and T-19B with another sprouting? male and female hunting for harbor seals around Java Rocks off of Saturna Island, Canada, from 2:37pm to 3:32pm. Slack ebb tide made for pond like conditions. The four whales circled the rocks several times, while the harbor seals on land were on alert with backs arched, some going for higher ground! There were seals in the water looking nervously about. They did make some sudden turns and lunges, underwater kills? At the west end of the rocks, T-19B paused sideways while the other 3 whales rapidly came toward him, a few lunges, one showed it's flukes, then a few tails lobs, before they headed northwest towards Saturna. T-19B's dorsal fin looks so big and heavy, growing faster than the rest of him, the weight of it leaning left, and he is only 14 years old- he's going to be huge at full maturity!!
Caroline Armon, San Juan Island

August 12
This afternoon, another boat had spotted the Transient Orcas! We had a feeling they must be out somewhere, with the Residents miles and miles away. Generally when the fish-eating (resident) Orcas of J, K, L pods are out of range, then there are mammal-hunting (transient) Orcas in the neighborhood. Sure enough! Known as the T19s this group was out in Canadian waters. When we arrived they were "resting" (the term used for Orca sleep). Slow synchronized dives in a tight knit group. As they neared some rocks the small group split up, circling around and around. There were a lot of harbor seals resting just above the water's edge as well as a few unsuspecting seals in the water. If they did indeed feed, then they were quite graceful about it because we never noticed any sudden dives or charges below to grab a seal. The transients then continued on their way, back in a tight group hugging the shoreline. What a great day - and my first encounter with Transients of the season!
-Jaclyn Van Bourgondien, naturalist, Crew At San Juan Safaris Whale Watch Wildlife Tours