Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | October 29th, 2026 | 1:30 pm

We had all the whale magic happening for M/V Osprey’s last trip of the season! Today’s afternoon was full of wildlife as we traveled in and out of the rain clouds, and even included watching some of our favorite whales swim underneath a rainbow. When we left the dock, we had a report of Bigg’s Killer Whales near Orcas Island, so we set out in that direction in the hopes of finding them. Once we neared Crane Island, we began to slow down...

Lauren Tschirhart | October 22nd, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30 pm

It was a perfect October day here in the Salish Sea. The sky was low lit and cloudly, but there were unbelievable pockets of sunshine cascading over the Olympic Peninsula. The M/V Osprey departed Friday Harbor and headed south. Our first stop was to Turn Rock to get a glimpse of a sea otter rolling around in the kelp bed. Next we headed towards Cattle Pass, in awe of the picturesque Cattle Point Lighthouse, which had sun beams dancing...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | October 15th, 2026 | 1:30 pm

As we move further into the Fall season, we are enjoying so many beautiful sunny days full of wildlife. We left the harbor to head north, seeing some clear views of Mount Baker to the east but also some dense fog. As we made our way further north, we soon were surrounded by the fog and enjoyed the spooky October setting looking out at the San Juan Island shoreline as well as further obscured islands. We spotted our first bald eagle of the...

Kelly | October 9th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

The weather is most certainly turning here in Friday Harbor! There was a slight chill in the air as we departed on the M/V Osprey. We took a left into San Juan Channel and began our search for whales and other wildlife. As we made our way up the channel, we noticed those distinct stubby black dorsal fins began to spout from the water erratically. Of course, belonging to harbor porpoise AKA our squirrels of the sea. We made our first official stop...

Lauren Tschirhart | October 6th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30 pm

Our whale friends really showed up for us on this foggy afternoon. Most of the Salish Sea was covered in a thick white hazy blanket this morning, which makes spotting whales and wildlife a bit difficult. Lucky for us, the T046B’s were seen traveling along the ferry route this morning. Not only were these whales seen traveling in an area where boats could easily acquire them… but by the time we left the dock they were right outside of...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | October 5th, 2026 | 1:30 pm

October has already been full of so many fun whale sightings, even with foggy mornings and cooler temperatures. While it looked quite foggy even when we left the dock this afternoon, we started out incredibly lucky with a whale report not far outside the harbor! Across the channel along Shaw Island, the T49As and two members of the T50 matriline, T50B1 and T50D, were making their way north along the shoreline. We made our way slowly into...

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...