Written by Alison
on Jun 17, 2026

Overcast Skies with the T99s

Overcast Skies with the T99s

June 4, 2026 AM – The skies were gray, and there was a bit of wind as we left the dock. Our first stop was to check out a rare visitor to our area, a sea otter! It was all wrapped up in the bull kelp and preening! So cool to have this sea otter spending time in the inland waters of Washington State and near Friday Harbor! Next, Captain Ivan picked out the best route, with the least amount of wind, to get us to a group of Bigg’s Killer whales that had been spotted near the south end of Cypress Island. On the way, we checked out some harbor seals by Obstruction Island and then we found 2 beautiful bald eagles perched in the trees on Cypress. Soon, we were with the T99’s. This is a family group made up of the mother, Bella – who is ~38 years old and her 4 offspring: T99B – Holly – a 19-year-old female, T99C – Barakat – a 17-year-old male, T99D – Puck – an 11-year-old male, and T99E – Qwiin qwiin oo quil la – a 5-year-old female. They were in a tight group, possibly resting as they slowly swam against the current not really moving from that one spot. All of a sudden they appeared to finish napping, changed directions, and started heading SE toward the Anacortes Ferry Terminal. After this beautiful encounter, it was time to head back to Friday Harbor. Captain Ivan took us up around the top of Cypress Island, where there are many small islets, before turning west and back to the dock!

 

Photographer and Naturalist: Alison Engle – Instagram: @AlisonEngleArt – Website: www.AlisonEngle.com – Instagram: @WesternPrinceWildlife – Facebook: Western Prince Whale Watching Adventures

Written by Alison
on Jun 17, 2026

Overcast Skies with the T99s

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