September 16th - The T18's in the Gulf Islands

Keta took off the dock at 10:30am and headed south through Dodd Narrows and into the heart of the Gulf Islands. A pod of transient orca had been sighted and were heading north towards us! Just after noon our vessel arrived on scene in Swanson Channel, between Pender Island and Saltspring Island. This family of 4 killer whales mostly traveled while we were with them, showing off their big black fins.

One of the mature females of this group, T18 “Esperenza”, was estimated to be born in 1974, while the other mature female, T19 “Mooya”, was estimated to be born in 1969! The two large males are both significantly younger, being born in 1995 and 2001.

T19B is a very unique male that we encounter in our area as his fin leans significantly to the left. Here are some of the best photos taken that day by crew member Val Watson.