May 26, 2023: T90s, T124A2s, & T65A5 | Cowichan Bay, BC

Date: Friday, May 26, 2023
Location: Cowichan Bay, BC, Canada
Weather: Mostly Sunny, 73 degrees Fahrenheit with 7mph winds from ESE
Tide: Ebb
Pods/Matrilines/Individuals: T90s, T124A2s, & T65A5
Total Whale Count: 8
Behaviors: Hunting, socializing
Boat Count: 10+ (7+ recreational boats, 3+ whale watch boats, 1 container ship, Soundwatch)

We sailed out of Skyline Marina in Anacortes, Washington, on the Orca Express with Outer Island Excursion. The trip was the scheduled 10:30am departure, and at the time there were no current whale sightings in the area, which meant most of the morning was spent traveling and searching. Often times when there are no known whale sightings, whale watching companies will divide and conquer, searching different locations and reporting back to one another.

Reports came in of a group of orcas in Cowichan Bay off the east side of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. That was quite a distance from where we were, but the captain decided to sail in that direction, continuing to look for wildlife along the way. After about a two-hour ride, we arrived in Cowichan Bay to find the T90s, the T124A2s, along with T65A5.

Upon our arrival the orcas were split up into two groups. We first spotted the T90s near the marina as they were traveling in a southwestward direction. Shortly after we found the T124A2s along with T65A5. The captain had been told that both groups had been going back in forth in the Bay all day, so instead of going into the Bay to follow the orcas he decided to stay in the initial spot anticipating they would travel in our direction. The second group consisting of the 124A2s and 65A65 ultimately passed us as we slowly moved out of their way, rejoining with the T90s where they exhibited play and social behaviors.

We were excited to see T65A5, nicknamed Elsie/Indy (male b. 2014), who is a member of the T65As and had been seen traveling solo around San Juan Island earlier in the month. This young whale has developed quite a reputation for leaving his family at such a young age, which is especially unusual for male killer whales, who typically spend their entire lives with their mothers.

Because of T65A5’s independent travels, he has recently been given an additional nickname “Indy”, inspired by the adventurer Indiana Jones, and to represent the independent traveler.

Since venturing off on his own last summer, T65A5 can be seen alone or joining up with groups of mixed matrilines. During this encounter, we saw him spend much of the time with a young male T124A2A Agafia (male b. 2013) who is just one year older than him.

There were many boats present, most of which were moored and watching the orcas. Soundwatch was present and did approach and notify a few recreational vessels of Be Whale Wise Guidelines. In one instance, a recreational boater was not aware of the orcas and was speeding directly toward them. Soundwatch was able to intervene and had them slow down and go around the orcas.

During our encounter, we saw multiple breaches, tail slaps, and spy hops. We weren’t able to stay and view them for very long due to the distance and had to start making our way back to port. The round trip was 6 hours and 109 nautical miles.