Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, June 14th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

During our afternoon trip on Kestrel, we got to cruise around the Canadian Gulf Islands and spend time with two different families of Bigg’s Killer Whales! We left Friday Harbor and headed north up San Juan Channel. Shortly after crossing the Canadian border, we stopped near Saturna Island to view a group of harbor seals resting on a small island. We then continued northwest to catch up with a group of whales that had been reported...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 7th, 2025 | 2:00 PM 

Kestrel departed Friday Harbor this afternoon in search of wildlife, and we certainly got what we hoped for! Today’s trip had the most species of marine mammals I have seen in a single trip, all under the most perfect weather conditions. We began by traveling south in San Juan Channel, stopping at Goose Island to see cormorants and admire Cattle Point Lighthouse. The skies were so clear today that we could also see Mt. Rainier in the...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | June 6th, 2025 | 12:30 PM 

Today was another beautiful day on the water for our afternoon Classic Whale Watch. We left Friday Harbor and began traveling east between Lopez and Shaw Islands in search of wildlife. We had some reports of killer whales further east, so we cruised interisland, through Peavine Pass and towards Lummi Island. As we got into Rosario Strait, we got to see a cool marine layer of fog over the water, but luckily this didn’t impede our visibility...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | June 1st, 2025 | 12:30 pm 

Our first trip of the month set the standards high for June! We left Friday Harbor on our Classic Whale Watch today heading east along the ferry route. The interisland cruise gave us lots of opportunities to look close along the shorelines and spot for wildlife. We continued east for some time until we reached Rosario Strait and could see Anacortes in the distance. Soon enough, we saw a number of black dorsal fins at the surface in two...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | May 31st, 2025 | 2:00 PM 

This afternoon’s Adventure Whale Watch left Friday Harbor in high spirits as the skies cleared and gave us a beautiful, sunny cruise up San Juan Channel. Our first stop was at White Rocks, where we saw two bald eagles and a number of harbor seals! We got great looks at the many varieties of colors of the seals, and even saw a few swimming in the water around the island. We then continued our travels north, past Waldron Island and towards...

Kelly | M/V Osprey| Monday, May 26th 2025 | 2pm

We took a left outside Friday harbor and were instantaneously treated to a look at a bald eagle sitting in the trees by Friday Harbor Labs. This area always seems to be a hotspot for these impressive raptors. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a nest close by, tucked away in the evergreens. We stopped for some quick looks at harbor seals lounging on the rocks next to Jones Island, always delighting us with there ever so elegant sausage bodies. 

Movi...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | May 25th, 2025 | 2:00pm

Today’s 2pm Adventure Whale Watch headed out of Friday Harbor in search of whales under sunny skies. We began heading south in San Juan Channel, spotting harbor porpoises and a few harbor seals before making a quick stop at Goose Island to view cormorants and the Cattle Point Lighthouse. We continued south west through Cattle Pass towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and eventually saw a few other boats ahead of us among a group of Bigg’s...

Kelly | M/V Osprey| Sunday, May 25th 2025 | 12:30pm

The holiday weekend brought a full boat of guests aboard the M/V Osprey. We took a right out of Friday Harbor, made our way down San Juan Channel and eventually into the the Straight of Juan De Fuca. We had no time to waste, a group of 5 killer whales were spotted quite far from our current location. The drive out to orcas was absolutely gorgeous, clear skies, perfect weather and hardly any other boats around. Low hanging clouds hugged the...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | May 24th, 2025 | 12:30pm 

We had another amazing day on the water during our afternoon Classic Whale Watch! We began by heading north up San Juan Channel, and then followed the west coast of Orcas island. As we rounded the top of Orcas Island, Mt. Baker was the perfect backdrop as we made our approach to a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales! We could see four dorsal fins surfacing together, which turned out to be the T123s. T123A Stanley looked especially majestic as his...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Monday, May 5th 2025 | 2pm

The harbor was heating up in the mid-day sun as we waited to depart on the M/V Osprey. I Certainty appreciated the the cool breeze as we picked up speed and headed north up San Juan Channel. Without wasting any time we b-lined it to a reported location of 11 Bigg's killer whales. We met up with these whales in Boundary Pass, just south of the Canadian border. This group was made up of multiple families including:

T65B's

• T65B Chunk 1993 F
• T65B1 Birdsall...