Lauren Tschirhart | June 16th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Today we began our whale watching tour by cruising north in San Juan Channel. We headed northeast into Boundary Pass, making a stop at White Rock where there was a beautiful bald eagle perched on the highest part of the rock. There were also tons of harbor seals sun bathing right where the water and rocky edge meet. Next we cruised into Presidents Channel, eventually catching up with a group of three Bigg’s Killer Whales. We hung out...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 14th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm 

The T100’s is a family group of Bigg’s Killer Whales who have been in the area a lot the past week. Specifically hanging out around Waldron Island. This group of three has been seen circling Waldron for multiple days, creating speculation as to why they may be doing so. The 100s are made up of: - T100/Hutchins — female, born around 1979 - T100C/Laurel — male, born in 2002 - T100E/Tharaya — female, born in 2009 - T100F/Estrella — born in...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 15th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left Friday Harbor aboard the M/V Kestrel and headed East towards a report of whales. We quickly admired a huge Bald Eagle's nest, then continued our transit. We travelled roughly along a similar route as the Washington State Ferries do. In fact, we at one point were able to see the Anacortes Ferry Terminal! We then pointed South though, and crossed Rosario Strait. As we neared the East side of Rosario, we began to see spouts on the...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 13th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Our Saturday Adventure Tour started strong after receiving a report from our sister vessel, the M/V Osprey that there was a humpback whale calf breaching right outside of Friday Harbor.

We hurried off the dock, immediately crossing San Juan Channel towards Lopez Island. Suddenly, I started seeing splashing at our 11 o’clock and I alerted our passengers to keep their eyes peeled. We watched as this baby launched itself out of the water as...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 12th, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

Our capital-A Awesome adventure on this beautiful Friday afternoon began north from Friday Harbor through San Juan Channel. It did not take long to spot two bright-white heads atop White Rock! These fully-grown bald eagles were accompanied by some rock sausages (Harbor seals) hauling out and raking in the rays.

Then, just around the corner of Waldron Island, we were greeted by a matriarch of a Bigg’s killer whale family and two of her children:

T10...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 11th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left the dock feeling quite confident this afternoon, as it seemed like there were Bigg's Killer Whales all over the San Juan Islands! Plus, the weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We began with a short transit to the top of San Juan Island to catch up with the T100s in Spieden Channel. This family is led by 47 year old matriarch "Hutchins". She was accompanied by her son "Laurel" and her youngest offspring "Estrella". Hutchins has two...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 8th, 2026 | 1:00pm

This tour left Friday Harbor in some rainy conditions, but braving the elements certainly paid off for this group! We saw a plethora of wildlife throughout this trip, and the excitement began just minutes after leaving the harbor. After we began traveling East, we quickly spotted a Bald Eagle perched on the top of a small rocky island. Conveniently, there was a Humpback Whale surfacing nearby which made our next transit very short. "Gretzky"...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 7th, 2026 | 2:00 pm

We had an epic adventure today as our search for whales took us all the way towards Whidbey Island, one of my furthest trips so far this season! We left the dock prepared for some winds and waves, but ended up in beautiful conditions throughout all of our travels. Our trek started by heading towards Lopez Island and following the coastline into Lopez Sound. All of these small island channels are great spots for possible whales and other...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 5th, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

Always trust your gut and follow your intuition, especially when it comes to predicting where whales will be in the Salish Sea (and choosing to come out on an adventure tour with San Juan Safaris). 

After departing the dock at Friday Harbor, we made our way down south through San Juan Channel and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, when two massive splashes off our starboard caught our eyes…it was Split Fin and Strike, two humpback whales! “Split Fin”...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 2nd, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

The word around town is that the Salish Sea is one of the most productive and biologically abundant bodies of water on Earth, and today we got to experience this firsthand out on our speediest vessel, Kestrel. We cruised our way down south out of Friday Harbor through Cattle Pass and found ourselves just West of Whidbey Island. The glossy conditions made the dorsal fins, flukes, and massive exhalations in the distance of two whales stick out like...