Lauren | M/V Osprey | Monday, June 23rd, 2025 | 2:00 PM

The Bigg’s Killer Whale matriline the T049A’s is a group of 7 whales in total, but seeing all 7 traveling together is a rarity. The two eldest boys tend to travel solo, or with other relatives or non-related whales. This family includes:

• T049A/Nan — (F) 1986
  • T049A1/Noah — (M) 2001
  • T049A2/Jude — (M) 2007
  • T049A3/Nat — (M) 2011
  • T049A4/Neptune — (M) 2014
  • T049A5/Nebula — (F) 2017
  • T049A6/Charlie II — (M)  2022

Today was a very special day, because we were...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Friday, June 27th 2025 | 12:30 PM

As the years progress, we are seeing more and more Biggs Killer whales in the Salish Sea! This means that with every year, we are introduced to new Biggs killer whale families as they start to explore this nutrient rich interisland sea. One of these new families to me is the T46C's, one of two families we encountered on todays Classic Tour!

We started the trip turning north up San Juan Channel and into Spiedan Channel, stopping briefly to look...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | June 25th, 2025 | 12:30 PM 

We had another great day on the water this afternoon, where we got to spend time with two different Bigg’s Killer Whale matrilines that I have not seen before! Before leaving the dock, we had reports of these whales off the eastern side of Orcas Island, so we began traveling in that direction. Along our interisland cruise, we made a stop to see a number of harbor seals outside of Obstruction Pass. We got to see a few inch their way into the...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Thursday, June 19th, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Although Bigg’s Killer Whales usually just travel in their individual matrilines (mom and immediate offspring). We will occasionally see multiple groups gathering together for mating and socialization. These groupings can last a few hours, a few days, and sometimes even a few weeks. For the last several days, the T065B’s and the T075B’s have been seen traveling together. These two moms, who are both in their early 30’s have been traveling...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | Friday, June 20th, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Today’s Classic tour gave us a beautiful cruise through San Juan and Spieden Channels. We began by heading north out of Friday Harbor, and searched along the coastlines for wildlife. Once we turned West into Spieden Channel, we soon saw  boats in the distance near Henry Island that were with a group of two different Bigg’s Killer Whale matrilines! Based on photo ID, we knew these were the T65Bs and T75Bs. We have seen these families...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Tuesday, June 17th 2025 | 12:30 PM

We started our trip with a right turn outside Friday Harbor and pointed south down San Juan Channel. Not long after departing, we began to slow the boat, 8 Killer whales we reported essentially in our backyard! This group was identified as the T75B's and T65B's including:

• T065B/Chunk — female, born in 1993
• T065B1/Birdsall — male, born in 2011
• T065B2/Nettle/Corvis — born in 2019
• T065B3/Rook — male, born in 2023

• T075B / Pebbles — female, born in...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Saturday, June 14th 2025 | 1:00 PM

We had no time to waste! The only whales reported in our area were very far away in the Canadian Gulf Islands. We took a hard left out of Friday Harbor and pointed north up San Juan Channel. We enjoyed the gorgeous scenery as we slipped over the border and into Canadian water. Some guests were lucky enough to catch a few looks at harbor porpoise as we crossed Boundary Pass and entered Plummer Sound. Thankfully, we heard from other boats in...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Monday, June 9th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

We started our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife tour by taking an inter-island cruise. We headed east across San Juan Channel and made our way into Upright Channel. Our first stop was to take a look at an active bald eagle's nest on the northeast side of Shaw Island. After getting great looks at this eagle in its impressive nest, we continued towards a whale report near Orcas Island. I’m not sure if it’s just a coincidence, or maybe the whales...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Saturday, June 7th, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Today I had one of the most rewarding days of my career. I got to finally meet one of the whales I got to nickname! Each whale in the Coastal Biggs population gets an alphanumeric designation, along with a nickname. For the alphanumeric designation, each family gets a number and then it goes back-and-forth between letter and number based on lineage. For example, in this family of whales, the matriarch's designation is T036B. Which means...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Wednesday, June 10th 2025 | 12:30 PM

We took a hard right out of Friday Harbor and headed south in San Juan Channel. After some quick looks at harbor porpoise outside Griffin Bay, we made a pitstop at Goose Island. This Island is a hotspot for a variety of wildlife including harbor seals, cormorants, an glaucous wing gulls. As we made our way through Cattle Pass, guest's noticed the how turbulent the water was around us. This is caused by a process called upwelling! Our...