Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 19th, 2026 | 2:00pm

On this day there were several reports down in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, so we turned South and went that way immediately. Lucky for us, the weather and conditions down there were absolutely beautiful! The first whales that we encountered were quite a rare duo; T125A "Jetsam" and T128 "Flotsam"! These presumed brothers do not visit this area very often at all. In face, this was my first time ever seeing them! These two adult males are...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | June 20th, 2026 | 12:30pm

This tour headed North out of Friday Harbor. We stopped for a great look at tons of Harbor Seals that were hauled out on a rock formation. Some of them were sleeping, while others were swimming around in the nearby water. From there, we only had a few minutes of travel to arrive at a family of Bigg's Killer Whales! We set our eyes on the T100s, which is a family of three. The family consists of mother/matriarch "Hutchins", son "Laurel", and...

Kelly Klein | M/V Osprey | June 19th, 2026 | 12:30pm

We left the harbor and continued south in San Juan Channel eventually making our way into Cattle Pass. We made a quick pit stop at Goose Island, one of our birding hotspots. Enjoying looks at the cormorant nests and a few scattered harbor seals on the shoreline. Making our way into a bigger body of water known as The Strait of Juan de Fuca, we were treated to crystal clear views of the Olympic mountain range, perfectly mirrored in the glassy...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 18th, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

After departing the dock at Friday Harbor, Kestrel cruised south down San Juan Channel past Cattle Point Lighthouse on San Juan Island to Whale Rocks, a common Steller sea lion haul-out site in our region. 2400-pound male sea lions started our trip off with a bang by plummeting head-first into the water beneath them, allowing gravity to do the rest and create massive splashes. How dramatic they were!

We continued our journey southeast towards...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | June 18th, 2026 | 12:30pm

This tour was able to leave the dock a few minutes early, and every minute counted because we immediately turned South and began travelling towards a report of whales down in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On our transit we still took a few moments to admire a perched Bald Eagle, Cattle Point Lighthouse on our right, and a large group of Steller Sea Lions on our left. Our crew knew the general area that these whales had been spotted earlier...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 16th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Today we began our whale watching tour by cruising north in San Juan Channel. We headed northeast into Boundary Pass, making a stop at White Rock where there was a beautiful bald eagle perched on the highest part of the rock. There were also tons of harbor seals sun bathing right where the water and rocky edge meet. Next we cruised into Presidents Channel, eventually catching up with a group of three Bigg’s Killer Whales. We hung out...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | June 17th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

It seems like we are back in our warm weather and glassy waters streak as today was an exceptionally beautiful day in the Salish Sea! Getting to watch whales in glassy, green water while hearing their exhalations will never get old. We traveled towards Rosario Strait today to catch up with a report of some Bigg’s Killer Whales. The amazing water conditions allowed for perfect scanning conditons as well, so we searched along the interisland...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 14th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm 

The T100’s is a family group of Bigg’s Killer Whales who have been in the area a lot the past week. Specifically hanging out around Waldron Island. This group of three has been seen circling Waldron for multiple days, creating speculation as to why they may be doing so. The 100s are made up of: - T100/Hutchins — female, born around 1979 - T100C/Laurel — male, born in 2002 - T100E/Tharaya — female, born in 2009 - T100F/Estrella — born in...

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

This afternoon’s windy forecast could not deter us in our search for whales! We began heading south, and had beautiful views of Mount Baker and even Mount Rainier in the distance, but quickly began to feel the wind and waves a bit more as we neared Cattle Pass. We got some looks at the Stellar’s Sea Lions on Whale Rocks among the strong current, but we definitely were rocking! Soon we moved on from the sea lions and followed along Lopez to...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 15th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left Friday Harbor aboard the M/V Kestrel and headed East towards a report of whales. We quickly admired a huge Bald Eagle's nest, then continued our transit. We travelled roughly along a similar route as the Washington State Ferries do. In fact, we at one point were able to see the Anacortes Ferry Terminal! We then pointed South though, and crossed Rosario Strait. As we neared the East side of Rosario, we began to see spouts on the...