Thor Takes Port Susan
J Pod, K Pod
J Pod spent multiple days in Haro Strait this week, with heavy surface activity and breaching visible from Lime Kiln on Jan 23. Their calls flooded every hydrophone in the area. Earlier in the week on Jan 13, J Pod and K Pod traveled together through Central Puget Sound from Tahlequah to Alki Beach before splitting off.
K Pod appearing in January in significant numbers continues a pattern seen in 2020, 2021, and 2025. January SR activity has been climbing steadily, and 2026 is keeping pace.
T46s, T100Bs, T100E, T85s, T123s
The T46 family minus T46D worked Port Susan and Saratoga Passage for four straight days alongside the T100Bs and T100E from Jan 22–27. Thor’s towering dorsal was a fixture off Edmonds, Possession Point, and Mukilteo. At least three seal kills were documented. Long down times and tight grouping suggested concentrated hunting, with the group making slow, methodical passes close to the Whidbey side.
The T85s surfaced briefly in Haro Strait on Jan 26, and the T123s passed through Tyee Channel on Jan 24. The T46 family and T100s have been January regulars for years, and this week was consistent with that history.
The T46 group and T100s were last seen heading north into Saratoga Passage at dusk on Jan 27, still hunting.