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...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Today is what whale watch dreams are made of. This was my first tour of the 2025 season that I’ve seen two different species of whale in the same excursion. We left Friday Harbor and headed north in San Juan Channel. Our first stop was to Green Point on Spieden Island to view some Steller Sea Lions. Four Steller’s were hauled out on the coastline, while several more swam around in the bull kelp. We left the point and headed up the Stuart...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Friday, May 9th | 2:00 PM

Today we had a special encounter with Humpback Whale BCX1057, also known as Divot. Divot is a 22-year-old female North Pacific Humpback from the Maui breeding population. Divot is the first (presumed) calf of the legendary BCY0324 “Big Mama.” Big Mama has been observed in the Salish Sea for the past 20 years. Big Mama was one of the first humpbacks that reclaimed this region as viable for migration and feeding post whaling era. Commercial Whaling...

Olivia Esqueda | May 3rd, 2025 | M/V Osprey | 12:30pm

It was such a neat experience today with a Humpback Whale east of the islands! We traveled inner island passing heaps of birds, including many Rhinoceros Auklets before reaching Rosario Strait, which is the first big body of water you cross when heading to Friday Harbor on the WA State Ferry. We were able to spot a Humpback Whale [CRC-19888 named Schooner] foraging along the shoreline with half a tail fluke! This whale was first spotted in...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | April 19th, 2025 | 12:30pm

The sun began to peak out from behind the clouds just as we turned left out of Friday Harbor. Heading up San Juan Channel, past Flattop Island and into Boundary Pass we investigated a humpback whale report. After a moment of searching in the general area, the whale appeared! A small slinky humpback came up for a breath. His pattern was to come up for a couple quick breaths and then down on a long dive. These dives ranged from 5 to 11 minutes. One...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | October 13, 2024 | 12:30 pm

October weather can be tricky out here in the Salish Sea. Luckily for our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour last Sunday, we were granted calm seas and sunny skies. Although the elements can sometimes prove tricky, Fall is a spectacular time to come whale watching in the San Juan Islands. Not only do we still regularly see killer whales, but we start to get a massive influx of migrating humpbacks as well. By October, most of the humpback whales...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 12th, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Today’s Adventure Whale Watch was an amazing, whale filled afternoon through the San Juan Islands. We had heard reports of multiple groups of Bigg’s Killer Whales in the area before leaving the dock, so we left Friday Harbor already excited for what we could find. We began by traveling interisland to the east, looping around Blakely Island to find our first group of whales. We got a quick look at a group of about four Bigg’s traveling...

Maxx | M/V Sea Lion | September 7th 2024 | 12:30pm

Serendipitous moments like we saw on today’s tour are always a bit confounding to me as I cruise around the San Juans. Yesterday a big group of Bigg’s Killer Whales passed through the San Juan Channel, down around Jones Island and into Orca’s Islands Deer Harbor. They milled there and carried on again, up around Orcas Island and through Presidents Pass. 

Today’s tour was remarkably similar- It didn’t take long for Sea Lion to leave Friday Harbor...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | September 7th, 2024 | 2:00 pm

Our afternoon adventure whale watch set out from Friday Harbor under hazy skies in search of wildlife. We began by heading north up San Juan Channel and were excited about some rumors of whales ahead of us. Soon enough, as we neared Waldron Island, we could see some blows in the distance along with some large black dorsal fins! This ended up being a group of three male Bigg’s or Transient Killer Whales, and they were slowly traveling...

Maxx | M/V Kestrel | September 5th 2024 | 2:00pm

September is without a doubt my favorite month to transit through the Salish sea; the lighting is perfect, town has mellowed out a bit, and certain frequent flier whales make their way back to the region for a visit. 

The T018s seem to love the shoulder season here. With a range anywhere from SE Alaska straight down to Northern California, Bigg’s killer whales could theoretically be seen all throughout the year in this region. However, they don’t...