Olivia Esqueda | Monday, June 2nd | M/V Osprey | 2:00pm 

Wow. This was a truly incredible day out on the water, and definitely one of my favorites all season! We started the trip by heading south through San Juan Channel, passing Goose Island with all the birds and Harbor Seals hanging out on its shores. We didn’t spend too much time before passing Cattle Point Lighthouse and beginning our transit to south Hein Bank. We were receiving reports of not one, but two Humpback Whales feeding and...

Olivia Esqueda | May 29th, 2025 | M/V Osprey | 12:30pm

What a fun day out exploring in the Salish Sea! We spent the afternoon up north in the Strait of Georgia hanging out with Big Mama [Humpback Whale, BCY0324] and her new calf! While this is her 8th known calf, she is also a grandma AND great-grandma! 

Big Mama is one of our favorites out here and who we tip our hat to for the comeback of the Humpback Whales in the Salish Sea. After being heavily whaled out of this area, there were no more...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Our Adventure began with a cruise out of Friday Harbor, heading north in San Juan Channel. Our first stop was to White Rock to observe a slew of harbor seals. Harbor seals make up around 70% of the Coastal Bigg’s (or Transient) Killer Whales diet. These seals are extremely abundant in the Salish Sea, which is one reason why our Bigg’s Killer Whale sightings have been increasing over the past several years! Harbor seals are not only extremely...

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...

Monday August 15th, 2022

Abby Dahl

M/V Osprey 12:30pm

Gabe, Helena, Olivia, and I pulled away from the dock with recreational boat traffic lined up for the fuel dock; a mid-summer reminder that the season end is nearer than we could fathom. With walkies attached to each hip, we navigated our way out of the harbor and introduced the wildlife and ecology of the area to a boat full of new friends.

We veered right through San Juan Channel, southbound to a humpback whale report. The...

July 21st, 2022

Abby Dahl

2pm M/V Sea Lion

Captain Erick and I chugged out of a busy Roche Harbor, with our sights set on a humpback whale just north of Stuart Island on the Canadian border. We cruised by some thermoregulating harbor seals and their newborn pups, with the sun glistening off the calm waters of Spieden Channel. When we got to the humpback whale identified as the female “Fallen Knight,” we had some great looks and some beautiful tail flukes.

Upon leaving the scene and...

July 1st, 2022

Abby Dahl

12:30pm Osprey

We left the dock on a beautiful, cloudy Friday afternoon. There had not been any whale sightings yet for the day, so we strapped on our binos and kept an eye out for anything remotely whale-like. We cruised north through San Juan Channels potting harbor seals and bald eagles. After some time, we were notified that a humpback whale known as BCX0915, better known as “Fallen Knight” was nearby, on the west side of Orcas Island.

We had some great...

Maxx K. | 06/20/2022 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00pm

    It took next to no time for Kestrel to fly into the Juan de Fuca today. The sea was just choppy enough to spice up our travels a little bit as we raced off to meet Big Mama and her calf over Hein bank. Big Mama is probably the coolest Humpback whale that I’ve ever met. She’s a pioneer to start, being one of the first humpbacks observed here during the Humpback Comeback back in 1997. Since then she returns here year after year and has...