Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | July 25th, 2026 | 12:30pm

We ventured South down San Juan Channel on this trip, and were immediately greeted by an adorable Sea Otter just minutes in! He was swimming around the outside of a kelp bed just off of Turn Island. As we were arriving, he swam into the kelp and began wrapping himself in it so that he wouldn't float away. We then watched him roll around for several minutes as he groomed himself. Sea Otters are obsessive over keeping their fur clean, as it...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | Friday, July 24, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

Our crew got M/V Osprey off the dock at Friday Harbor at 12:30pm this afternoon. After heading north up San Juan Channel, we waved hello to a small group of Harbor porpoise gracefully raising their chocolate-chip shaped dorsal fins above the surface of the water. Shortly after exiting President’s Channel, Captain Gabe announced that he spotted three black dorsal fins in the distance just west from Patos Island. Here are the IDs, names...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | July 23rd, 2026 | 12:30 pm

Today’s cloudier skies and cooler temps compared to yesterday were a welcome surprise for our trip today! Even with a bit of wind, we had great spotting conditions and were excited to head towards Rosario to follow up on a report of some Bigg’s Killer Whales. We made our way through Upright Channel and continued to the narrower Peavine Pass which led us into Rosario. From there we turned south and traveled along the Blakely shoreline until...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | July 22nd, 2026 | 12:30pm 

The M/V Osprey departed Friday Harbor and took a hard left in San Juan Channel. Today we were very lucky, a group of whales was reported right in our backyard! Not but 10 minutes later we slowed the boat and began to notice dorsal fins in the distance off our port side. This group of 9 whales was identified as the 35A's and the 38A's:

• T035A/Lester — female, born in 1998
  • T035A1/Opal — female, born in 2010
    • T035A1A* — born in 2026
  • T035A2/Topaz — born in...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | July 21st, 2026 | 12:30 pm

After two days of no killer whales sighted in the region, today was our lucky day! We set out of Friday Harbor in search mode, scanning for any signs of whales and wildlife along San Juan Channel, peering up President’s Channel and among the Wasp Islands before turning west into Spieden Channel. We continued into the Haro Strait and made our way south towards a report of whales heading north. After a quick stop to see a bald eagle, we kept...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | July 20th, 2026 | 1:30 pm

Today’s classic tour took us through many different channels and pathways in our search for whales, including into Canada! We began by heading north and searching along Spieden Channel and the upper Haro. Our first seal stop was along Sentinel Rock, where we saw some seal pups resting with their mothers on the shoreline. These pups only stay with mom for about 6 weeks, so this is a critical time for them to learn and put on weight. We...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | Sunday, July 19, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

On today’s classic tour aboard M/V Osprey, we received reports of a rather uncommon scene here in the Salish Sea; four humpback whales were spotted in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, widely known as a “whale highway” connecting the greater Pacific Ocean and the Salish Sea. The San Juans are primarily a summer snacking ground for these baleen whales amidst a nearly 3000 mile migration, so social aggregations are quite rare. We headed south down...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | Thursday, July 16, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

M/V Osprey departed the hazy fog swallowing Friday Harbor on July 16 with heavy hearts; between Smith Island and Minor Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a member of the Pacific Whale Watch Association reported the stranding of a killer whale that morning, raising concerns across our team. The individual was identified as T065B2, a seven-year old male Bigg’s killer whale known as Nettle.

We were soon distracted by a sea otter just...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | July 18th, 2026 | 12:30pm

On this day we turned North out of Friday Harbor and wrapped around the top of San Juan Island. We crossed Haro Strait and entered Canadian waters near Sidney Island and D'Arcy Island. Not long after we slowed down, we spotted black dorsal fins cutting through the water. It was the T109As! This family of six Bigg's Killer Whales is led by the mother/matriarch "Runaway" and five of her kiddos. Her eldest son "Garrett" is of the age where his...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | July 17th, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

The overcast sky cleared as we departed Friday Harbor and took a left into San Juan Channel. Cruising up the channel we were treated to scenic looks at Turtleback mountain on Orcas island. Our first stop of the tour being a harbor seal hotspot known as White Rock. We watched as this cluster of seals clung to the rocky shoreline on the left side of the formation. So many newborn pups visible next to mom! We next slipped over the border into Canada...