Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 27th, 2026 | 1:30 pm

Being on the water today felt like the most stunning Fall day of the season, with perfect visibility across the water and to the mountains. We ended up having a beautiful encounter with Bigg’s Killer Whales right near San Juan Island, as well as finding so many other animals out enjoying the sunshine! When we left Friday Harbor, we knew of a report of some whales in the Haro so we began by heading north and taking a turn west through...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 25th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

This rainy afternoon ended up being one of the most wildlife filled trips I’ve experienced recently! When we departed Friday Harbor, there were no known whale reports in our area so we joined the search in the Salish Sea. Within our PWWA network, we are able to cover lots of water working together, so we decided to head east and widen the day’s search in the grey and rainy weather. Outside the harbor at Turn Rock we found the sea otter...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 21st, 2026 | 1:30 pm

Another beautiful Fall day in the San Juans, we saw so many species of wildlife today in our search for whales! We had a few different rumors of whales in the region when we left the dock, and we decided to head south to see where our day would take us. Our first stop at Goose Island was full of harbor seals, lots of Double Crested Cormorants, and a beautiful Great Blue Heron hanging out in the kelp. We had great visibility looking out...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 20th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

For our naturalist Aly’s last day of the season, we were lucky to find one of our favorite families of Bigg’s Killer Whales after traveling through some foggy areas of the San Juans. We departed Friday Harbor with some rumors of these whales in Rosario Strait, but there was some dense fog we had to get through, and more fog in Rosario that the whales could end up disappearing into.. We headed east, definitely feeling the spooky Fall...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 19th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

Our afternoon became incredibly exciting when we heard reports of a famous Bigg’s Killer Whale duo in our area right before we left the dock. While getting to see any whale is an exciting day, one of my favorites to spend time with is one of the most recognizable individuals in our population… T63 Chainsaw! Chainsaw and his equally as iconic mom T65 Whidbey II had been found near East Point on Saturna Island and were heading south, so...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | September 18th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

Today’s trip brought us to a familiar family of Bigg’s Killer Whales that I’ve been waiting to see for a while! When we left the dock, we had a few distant rumors of whale reports in different areas. We decided to head northwest towards a report of 4 killer whales that had been found closer to Sidney, BC. We journeyed north to Spieden Channel, but didn’t make any stops as to get further towards our whale report. There was a bit of fog...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | September 17th, 2026 | 1:30pm

This tour left the dock with some amazing weather from the start. It certainly felt more like a mid-July day rather than mid-September, so it was a great day to be out on the water! We headed East on this day through the inner islands, similar to the route that the Washington State Ferries take. We slowly cruised through a narrow waterway known as Peavine Pass before entering Rosario Strait. We were immediately greeted with beautiful...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | Saturday, September, 14 2026 | 1:30 pm 

Fall is so close you can taste it, especially this afternoon. The air is chillier, the sky grayer, town quieter. However, the magic of the Salish Sea persists, and the killer whales certainly don’t mind the cold.

M/V Osprey departed the dock at Friday Harbor at 1:30pm today, and within minutes we were at our first wildlife stop! Not only was my favorite seabird perched upon the kelp forest by Turn Rock, but the marine mammal with the...

Lauren Tschirhart | September 13th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 11:00 am

For the last several years, San Juan Safaris has partnered with Island Rec to get San Juan Island locals out on the water to see the beautiful wildlife that surrounds their home. Coincidentally, our tour today ended up completing a circumnavigation of San Juan Island… How fitting! 

The M/V Osprey departed Friday Harbor and headed south. We made a stop just south of Turn Rock to view some hauled our harbor seals and a sea otter! The...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | September 11th, 2026 | 12:30pm

This tour left the dock with the gift of beautiful weather and water conditions which is always a great start. We turned right out of Friday Harbor and pointed South in San Juan Channel. We began by checking a nearby kelp bed that is sometimes frequented by a Sea Otter. This is a rare species to encounter in the inland waters of the Salish Sea, but luckily this little one has taken a liking to this specific spot. It ususually can be...