Kelly Klein | M/V Kestrel | June 30th, 2026 | 2pm

Overcast sky no more! The sun was out and the sky was bright blue as we left Friday Harbor and pointed north up San Juan Channel. We made two quick pit stops for a lone Steller Sea Lion and a Bald Eagle near Friday Harbor Labs. As we made our turn into Presidents Channel, exhales sprung up in the distance! A group of 4 Biggs Killer whales identified as the T65A's made up of: 

• T065B/Chunk — female, born in 1993
  • T065B1/Birdsall — male, born in 2011
  • T06...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 28th, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Today was truly a killer whale adventure tour! Before leaving the dock, we had many different reports of whales in our area but we didn’t know just how many we would end up able to see. Since every hour is different on the water, we decided to head out towards some exciting reports in Rosario Strait and then see what was going on once we got out there. On our way there, we slowed down near Lopez Island ferry dock because there were Bigg’s...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 26th, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

The population of Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales in the Salish Sea is growing exponentially every year; sometimes you must only travel 15 minutes before spotting their blows!

After going north up San Juan Channel from Friday Harbor, we hung out with the T049A matriline of Bigg’s killer whales, including the following individuals:

T49A "Nan" (F) b. 1986

• T49A3 "Nat" (M) b. 2011
• T49A4 "Neptune" (M) b. 2014
• T49A5 "Nebula" (F) b. 2017
• T49A6 "Charlie ll" (...

Olivia Esqueda | June 24th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00pm

Today’s Adventure Tour spoiled us despite the distance; we had calm seas and even a warm wind hitting our faces! Heading north through San Juan Channel, we passed heaps of Harbor Porpoise-literally everywhere! We consistently saw these small cetaceans our entire route up through Canada. Dipping through Navy Channel, we eventually threaded the needle in Georgeson Pass and entered the Strait of Georgia. Looking directly at Vancouver, B.C, we...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 25th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm 

Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour was filled with overcast skies and orca whales! Our cruise began by departing Friday Harbor and making a stop near Point Caution to view a bald eagle. We continued northeast, eventually making our way into Presidents Channel. We made another stop at Skipjack Island to observe some rock sausages, aka harbor seals. Next we cruised by Eastpoint Lighthouse on Saturna Island, eventually making our...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 23rd, 2026 | 2:00 pm

After a successful morning whale search, Captain Vaun and I were confident we would find whales again for our afternoon trip.  As the day went on, more reports had come in and we were excited to check out some rumors in Rosario Strait. Today was also a particularly hot day, so it was wonderful to be zooming on the Salish Sea again! We departed Friday Harbor and made our way east in between Lopez and Shaw and then through Peavine Pass. Mount...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 23rd, 2026 | 9:00 am 

Captain Vaun and I began our morning as the first PWWA vessel searching our area for whales on our 9:00 tour, which meant that anything was possible! We departed Roche Harbor and decided to head north east toward the boundary waters, pointing towards Waldron Island. We stopped at White Rock to view some harbor seals and a bald eagle that was being harassed by a group of gulls. It’s always amazing how the smaller birds can intimidate an...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 22th, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

M/V Kestrel departed from the dock at Friday Harbor at 2:00pm today, and by 2:05pm we had sighted our first animal: a soaring bald eagle! We cruised in beautiful conditions up north to President’s Channel; the sea was a glossy emerald green reflecting the evergreen trees atop the San Juan Islands, and the skies were blanketed in cirrus clouds.

Captain Vaun and I jumped in excitement when we realized who was ahead; it was a matriline of orcas...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 21st, 2026 | 2:00pm

This tour headed East out of Friday Harbor and began taking a similar route as the ferries do to get between San Juan Island and Anacortes. The only difference is that the M/V Kestrel is much quicker than those ferries, so it only took us about 25 minutes to arrive in Rosario Strait! We then travelled South for a few minutes and arrived on scene with a group of 10 Bigg's Killer Whales! This group was comprised of the T46B family which is...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 20th, 2026 |10:00 am and 2:00 pm

Our morning adventure tours are always my favorite, as we get to be part of the first group of boats searching for whales. We departed Friday Harbor with some rumors of killer whales in the Canadian Gulf Islands, so we began by heading north to check it out. We cruised up San Juan Channel, made our way west into Spieden Channel, and stopped at Sentinel to see some harbor seals. Looking out across the Haro, there was some fog...