Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | July 3rd, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Today’s afternoon Kestrel trip was excited to get out on the water after a successful morning search. Since getting on the dock, another family of Bigg’s Killer Whales had been picked up in our area and were not too far from the harbor so we began heading towards that report. We traveled between Shaw and Lopez before slowing our speed… This group of killer whales was traveling west, heading between Shaw and Orcas Islands. I was happy to see...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | July 3rd, 2026 | 10:00 am 

Captain Brian and I had an amazing adventure filled day on our Kestrel tours… So many whales to see in the Salish Sea! For our morning trip, we were part of the first group of boats out so we joined the search for whales as we left the dock. There had been a few whale rumors in the region, including some killer whales seen from the early morning ferry that some of our passengers were on before our trip! No one had found those whales again...

Lauren Tschirhart | July 2nd, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Today was feeling more like January than July. It was cold, and it was rainy but the wildlife made our wet and wild journey beyond worth it. We saw so many cool things on our tour today! Our trip began by departing Friday Harbor and cruising south towards Cattle Pass. We stopped at Whale Rocks to observe a large group of Steller Sea Lions before continuing southeast around the bottom of Lopez Island. Next we slowed down to view a humpback...

Lauren Tschirhart | July 1st, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Today was a particularly exciting whale watch for me as I got to see two of my very special whale friends for the first time this season! I have been working for San Juan Safaris since the summer of 2021, so at this point I really do consider these apex predators my friends… even if they literally have no idea that I exist. There are only a handful of adult male killer whales in the Bigg’s population that are considered to be independents...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | July 3rd, 2026 | 12:30pm

We left Friday Harbor and travelled East this day towards a report of Bigg's Killer Whales. There was a family of whales moving South down Eastsound, which is a waterway that runs right up the middle of Orcas Island. We do not often see whales in Eastsound, so this was pretty exciting! After a quick commute, we approached the T99s right at the bottom of Eastsound. Our timing was perfect, as the family of five whales had just finished eating...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | July 2, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

M/V Osprey took off into the fall-like rainy haze this afternoon from Friday Harbor and headed northeast through Upright Channel. Our first wildlife sighting was not one, but two bald eagles perched atop evergreen trees on the north side of Lopez Island. We continued eastward through Thatcher Pass, and upon entering Rosario Strait, our captain spotted 4 blows. It was the matriarch of a family of Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales and her three kids: 

• T...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 29th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Our Adventure Tour today was about as epic as they come… and we never even left San Juan Channel. A group of 11 Bigg’s Killer Whales aka Transient Orcas had been picked up in the Strait of Juan de Fuca heading north towards Cattle Pass. Anytime we have members from 3 or more matrilines swimming together, we call that a T-Party (“T” stands for Transient, which is a specific eco-type of killer whale). Eco-types are like sub-species, but...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 28th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

After hearing we had two rare visitors in town, I couldn’t have been more excited to get out on the water. T128/ Floatsam and his presumed younger brother T125A/ Jetsam are two adult male Bigg’s Killer Whales who spend a majority of their time in the waters of Southeast Alaska. We only get to see this iconic duo a handful of times a year. T125A/ Jetsam has an extremely recognizable dorsal fin, as there is a large circular notch located...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | July 1, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

Happy July everyone! M/V Osprey had a spectacular day out on the water, finding five species of marine mammals. 

1/5: Just moments southeast from Friday Harbor, we found a haul-out of Harbor seals off Turn Point, and even found a second haul-out site after continuing south down San Juan Channel at Goose Island, where we also marveled at both pelagic and double-crested cormorants. 

2/5: After getting our true-seal fix, we found the largest species of...

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...