Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

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 Sea Lion | September 24th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

We are fast approaching rainier days in the Salish Sea, but a little precipitation couldn’t dull our excitement to be on the water searching for whales! When we departed the harbor, we had a rumor of a pair of killer whales travelling south in Canadian waters north of us, so we decided to head in that direction. We made our way up towards Stuart Island, and suddenly got an exciting update from another PWWA vessel… A group of 3 Bigg’s...

Lauren Tschirhart | September 23rd, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 pm

Today was a bad day to be an Alcidae in the Salish Sea. Our Classic Whale Watch and Wildlife Tour got to witness two year old T036B4/ Auk live up to his nickname! T036B4 was given the nickname “Auk” as his eyepatch resembles an auklet sitting on the surface of the water. Although I can see the resemblance, his behavior has created an entirely new meaning to his nickname. T036B4/ Auk and his one-year-old niece T036B1A/ Maple are...

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...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | September 18th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left the dock and headed North, eventually wrapping around the top of San Juan Island and entering Haro Strait. This is the large body of water just to the West of San Juan. We were following up on a report of Bigg's Killer Whales, and it wasn't long before we spotted them! It ended up being a family known as the T65Bs. This family of four whales is led by their mother/matriarch "Chunk" who is 33 years old. Chunk travels with her...

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...