Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | August 16th, 2026 | 5:30 pm

Sunsets are picturesque no matter what out here, but it’s especially special to see whales during this time! Our sunset tour departed Friday Harbor and traveled north up San Juan Channel. We had some exciting reports of Bigg’s Killer Whales in the Haro, so we wanted to get out to maximize our daylight time. Once we got through Spieden Channel we turned a bit south to follow along Henry Island. In the distance we began to see dorsal fins...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | August 15th, 2026 | 5:30pm

We left the dock feeling quite confident on this evening, as a legendary family of Bigg's Killer Whales were quite close to San Juan Island. They were coming down Eastsound near Orcas Island, and pointed towards us facing West. We had a short 20 minute ride to the whales from the dock, then were met with the beautiful sight of three black dorsal fins cutting through the water. It was the T19s, which is an adored family in this population...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, August 15, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Today’s adventure tour began with reports of killer whales in an area of water I had never been before; Eastsound! This body of water is encompassed by Orcas Island; it almost felt like cruising through a lake, except it was salt water, and contained three marine mammal-eating killer whales:

• T019/Nootka/Mooyah — female, born before1965
  • T019B/Galiano — male, born in 1995
  • T019C/Spouter — male, born in 2001

After watching this matriarch with...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 13th, 2026 | 2:00pm

Some days we are lucky enough to have Killer Whales within sight of San Juan Island, and this was one of those days! The T19 family of Bigg's Killer Whales were just a few minutes outside of Friday Harbor. This family is led by their mother/matriarch "Nootka" who is one of the oldest living whales in the entire population. She was joined by her two adult sons "Galiano" and "Spouter" who are both absolutely HUGE. Many people believe that...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, August 15, 2026 | 10:00 AM

At the beginning of each tour, I say that there are only four eyeballs between the captain and I, and that we need help from each and every passenger to scan for signs of wildlife, and that the search has already begun. And when I asked Captain Vaun if he had anything to add, he said that he has already spotted blows. We had not even picked up speed out of Friday Harbor yet! In minutes, we were at the southwest coast of Shaw Island...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | August 15h, 2026 | 12:30pm

We were so blessed today to have whales RIGHT In our backyard, and not just any whales…the beloved T49a’s! We traveled only about 15 minutes outside of Friday Harbor before exhales appeared in the distance. This is a family of 6 members consisting of:

• T049A/Nan — female, born in 1986
• T049A3/Nat — male, born in 2011
• T049A4/Neptune — male, born in 2014
• T049A5/Nebula — female, born in 2017
• T049A6/Charlie II — male, born in 2022
• T049A7*/Nimbus — born in 2026

T...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | August 14h, 2026 | 2pm

We left Friday Harbor and wasted no time pointing north into Canadian water. We weaved through the scenic Canadian Gulf Islands, eventually emerging from Georgenson Pass into the larger body of water known as the Strait of Georgia. Suddenly, a large smokestack exhale appeared in the distance. A humpback whale identified as BCX1377 aka “Nike”. We were treated to incredible looks at this humpback as it remained on a consistent dive pattern, showing off...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | Wednesday, August 14, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

Today’s classic wildlife tour departed from Friday Harbor and made its first stop at White Rock after transiting north through San Juan Channel. Here, we enjoyed views of rock sausages, AKA harbor seals, a pinniped of the Salish Sea that is thriving at carrying capacity, eating over 60 species of prey, and satiating the hunger of the Bigg’s ecotype of killer whales here. 

The journey ahead across Boundary Pass and along the northern...

Olivia Esqueda | August 13th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30pm

Today was such a gift out on the water with so much wildlife to see and all close to home! We started off today’s trip by heading north through San Juan Channel. After passing heaps of Fried Egg Jellyfish and Harbor Porpoise, we found ourselves at Spieden Island. Not only did we see multiple Bald Eagles and a nest, but there were Harbor Seals hauled out all along the shoreline! This time of year is so fun as we can find pups everywhere...

Lauren Tschirhart | August 12th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

There was lots of action out in the Salish Sea today. The whale reports were coming in from several locations around Friday Harbor. The majority of these reports were south in the Strait of Juan De Fuca, so we decided to head that way. Just a few minutes after departing Friday Harbor, I spotted an unreported humpback whale traveling north in San Juan Channel. This humpback, later identified as BCX2077 “Graphite” was taking short dives...