Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | July 14th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left the dock feeling quite confident today, as several species of whales had been reported South of us in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Luckily for us, that area happened to be extremely calm on this day. We entered beautiful and glassy waters as we passed by Cattle Point Lighthouse. Our first stop was to view two Humpback Whales just a couple of minutes South of San Juan Island. We approached slowly and turned our engines off, and these...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | July 13th, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Our adventure tour today was full of surprises as we journeyed through the Salish Sea in both US and Canadian waters. We had a few reports of whales further in the Canadian Gulf Islands when we departed, so we began by heading north and wanted to wait and see how things were changing as we got closer. Once we reached Spieden, we continued west and then decided to cross the Haro towards Sidney in Vancouver Island. We soon reached the vicinity...

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

We left the dock feeling very confident on this trip as their were plenty of whales within our range! We went North and wrapped around the top of San Juan Island before entering Haro Strait which is the large body of water off of the West side of the island. The water was extremely calm which was nice to see, as this area was a bit choppier and rough earlier in the day. There were 11 total Bigg's Killer Whales in this area at this time! We...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | July 12th, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Today was an especially great example of how every hour is different on the water. In our morning trip, we had watched a group of 6 Bigg’s Killer Whales, and in that time a few other families had also been found in our region. We departed the dock and headed towards Orcas Island where the family we had found earlier in Lopez Sound was now near Deer Harbor. We slowed our speed and soon were once again in the vicinity of one of the cutest...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | July 12th, 2026 | 10:00 am

As is usual with our morning adventure trips, our plan changed a few times as we joined the search for whales at 10:00. Before leaving the dock, Captain Brian was thinking we would start by searching south in San Juan Channel and then along the banks in the Juan de Fuca. However, once we were leaving the dock there were a few rumors of some whales in Canada so we began heading north with the plan to eventually search near Sidney. Once we...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | July 11th, 2026 | 10:00am

We left the dock with our options wide open on this morning. There weren't any solid reports within our range yet, which meant that we were going to start out in search mode. We decided to head Northeast and check out an area that consists of several small islands such as Flattop and Waldron. These islands are full of Harbor Seals, so we frequently see Bigg's Killer Whales here while they circle the islands in search of a meal. We admired...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | July 9, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

Here is a recap of the incredible adventure aboard Kestrel, our speediest vessel, this fine Thursday afternoon! We cruised north from Friday Harbor through President's Channel past the east side of Waldron Island. Faces quickly lit up as the captain slowed our vessel to under 7 knots, as we were indeed approaching a group of 6 Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales! Here are the IDs, names, genders, and birth years of the individuals present:

• T046B/Raksha ...

Lauren Tschirhart | July 8th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm 

Our Wednesday Adventure Whale Watch and Wildlife Tour was filled with an abundance of different species. We got to see two different species of baleen whales, two species of pinnipeds as well as a variety of birds. Our first plan of action was to head in the direction of a humpback whale report. This humpback had been reported traveling east in Rosario Strait. A fellow Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) member informed us that the...

Kelly | July 10th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 am On this mornings adventure tour the only whale report to investigate was deep in the Canadian gulf islands, so we wasted no time heading that direction. Pointing north up San Juan Channel and eventually into the bigger body of water known as Boundary Pass, quickly slipping over the border and into Canadian water. After navigating into the gulf islands we began to slow the boat and watched as 6 distinct dorsal fins rise from the water. This family...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | July 5th, 2026 | 2:00pm

This tour had a rather short transit to whales, as the T100s that our morning tour saw were still circling Flattop Island hours later! This shoreline is packed with Harbor Seals, so it is likely that these three Killer Whales had multiple meals in that area throughout the day. Right after we arrived, the family veer off of the shoreline and began heading South down San Juan Channel. We got a couple of amazing looks as they made their way...