Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Lauren Tschirhart | May 11th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

Today was my first day back to work after spending a winter in Hawai’i, and what a welcome back it was! I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my sixth season here with San Juan Safaris. Our tour started with a behind the scenes debate on which way to go. We already knew of two different groups of Bigg’s killer whales in the area, one north of Friday Harbor, and one south. It’s always incredible when there are options before we even...

Olivia Ellman | May 14th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm We departed Friday Harbor today with hopes of sunshine and finding whales, and at least the whales came through for us! We traveled north up San Juan Channel, stopping at Green Point to see the Stellar's Sea Lions resting on the shoreline. Continuing into New Channel, we also viewed mouflon sheep along the hillside as well. We encountered some rain and winds, but nothing could deter us in our search. As we rounded the western side of...

Kelly Klein | May 13th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30pm 

We took a left outside Friday Harbor and pointed north in San Juan Channel. Almost instantaneously, we were treated to a bald eagle sitting high in the evergreens as we cruised toward the nearest whale report. A quick 15 minute transit and we were on scene with 6 orcas identified as the T49a's, consisting of:

• 049A/Nan — female, born in 1986
• T049A3/Nat — male, born in 2011
• T049A4/Neptune — male, born in 2014
• T049A5/Nebula — female, born in 2017
• T049A6...

Olivia Esqueda | May 10th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30pm 

 

This Sunday truly ended up being the most wonderful Mother’s Day Trip. The weather brightened up after a chilly week, and it was warm out there in San Juan Channel. And on top of that, we had Bigg’s Killer Whales found in San Juan Channel swimming towards Friday Harbor shortly before we left the dock. This meant we never had the chance to pick up speed before we came across them! 

The T049A’s have been hanging around a lot in the last few...

Abby | M/V Kestrel | May 9th, 2026 | 2:00pm

Yet again, a beautiful day to get on the water! I will never get tired of saying that. We left Friday Harbor with calm seas and blue skies. There were already a few reports in the area, and it is just a matter of choosing the best way to go. Our first stop was Turn Rock, where there was a report of a sea otter! Sure enough, there it was, floating like a log on the edge of a kelp forest. This was my first sea otter spotting of the season! It is not often...

Olivia Esqueda | May 6th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 8:00am

 

Today we were excited to have UW Students joining us on the water as a part of their marine biology course. This is something we do a few times in the spring and the fall as an interactive way for them to learn out in the field. On our way to pick them up from UW Labs, we spotted Bigg’s Killer Whales right outside of Friday Harbor! We popped over to see what direction they were heading, picked up the students and their professors, and headed...

Olivia Esqueda | May 4th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30pm

 

Setting off for our second trip of the day, we went north towards Spieden Channel where we looked at Stellers’ Sea Lions, Bald Eagles, and Mouflon Sheep. Shortly after, we rejoined with the T049A’s [Transient Orcas/ Bigg’s Killer Whales] that we had found earlier that morning. This time, they had recently hunted and were prey sharing beneath the water in Spieden Channel, not far from a Harbor Seal haul out. With bits of their food floating to...

Olivia Esqueda | May 4th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 9:00am

 

This morning, we were the first vessel off the dock. It was warm, there were calm seas, and mountain views. With hot coffee in hand, this felt like a wonderful way to start the day in the Salish Sea. We set off north up San Juan Channel, curved through Spring Passage, and headed into President’s Channel because there were some rumors from an early morning water taxi of sightings north of Orcas Island and heading towards East Point on Saturna...

Abby | M/V Kestrel | May 3rd, 2026 | 2:00pm

Today's trip quite literally left me speechless. We left our dock in Friday Harbor with reports within our range of 3 different whale species. We genuinely had the trip of a lifetime ahead of us. We left the harbor and traveled interisland along the Washington State Ferry route. We passed the Lopez Island Ferry Dock and turned southeast towards Thatcher Pass. Just east of Thatcher Pass in Rosario Strait was a report of a humpback whale. It had been a...

Abby | M/V Osprey | May 2nd, 2026 | 12:30pm

Summer feels like it is finally here! It was a beautiful day to be on the boat. We turned right out of Friday Harbor and started heading south in San Juan Channel. Our goal was to reach Whale Rocks which is off the shore of Cattle Point on San Juan Island. We weren't entirely sure where we wanted to go today, so we made the decision as we got closer to the report. Once we reached the south end of San Juan Island, we decided to turn right, heading...