Lauren Tschirhart | July 4th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

Happy 250th Birthday America! We ironically spent our 4th of July watching whales in British Columbia! The aroma of hot dogs and bbq filled the air as we departed Friday Harbor Marina. The holiday vibes were high from the start, as the first thing we spotted after entering San Juan Channel was a bald eagle. The bald eagle is the National Bird of the United States of America! How fitting. Did you know that Ben Franklin originally wanted...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | July 3rd, 2026 | 12:30pm

We left Friday Harbor and travelled East this day towards a report of Bigg's Killer Whales. There was a family of whales moving South down Eastsound, which is a waterway that runs right up the middle of Orcas Island. We do not often see whales in Eastsound, so this was pretty exciting! After a quick commute, we approached the T99s right at the bottom of Eastsound. Our timing was perfect, as the family of five whales had just finished eating...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | July 2, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

M/V Osprey took off into the fall-like rainy haze this afternoon from Friday Harbor and headed northeast through Upright Channel. Our first wildlife sighting was not one, but two bald eagles perched atop evergreen trees on the north side of Lopez Island. We continued eastward through Thatcher Pass, and upon entering Rosario Strait, our captain spotted 4 blows. It was the matriarch of a family of Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales and her three kids: 

• T...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 28th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

After hearing we had two rare visitors in town, I couldn’t have been more excited to get out on the water. T128/ Floatsam and his presumed younger brother T125A/ Jetsam are two adult male Bigg’s Killer Whales who spend a majority of their time in the waters of Southeast Alaska. We only get to see this iconic duo a handful of times a year. T125A/ Jetsam has an extremely recognizable dorsal fin, as there is a large circular notch located...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | July 1, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

Happy July everyone! M/V Osprey had a spectacular day out on the water, finding five species of marine mammals. 

1/5: Just moments southeast from Friday Harbor, we found a haul-out of Harbor seals off Turn Point, and even found a second haul-out site after continuing south down San Juan Channel at Goose Island, where we also marveled at both pelagic and double-crested cormorants. 

2/5: After getting our true-seal fix, we found the largest species of...

Olivia Esqueda | June 30th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30pm

Today was truly an exciting day out on the water as we set out from Friday Harbor, following up on potential shore reports. We headed north through San Juan Channel, curving through the Wasp Islands, and extending our search northwest into New Channel which rests north of Spieden Island. Continuing west/ southwest, we dipped into the north Haro Strait around Henry Island and started seeing orca exhales outside of Mosquito Pass. 

We were the...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | June 29th, 2026 | 12:30pm

We left Friday Harbor feeling very hopeful this day, as there was a great report not too far South. We started travelling down San Juan Channel, briefly stopping for a look at some huge Steller Sea Lions on a small group of islands called Whale Rocks. The report was that 11 Bigg's Killer Whales consisting of individuals from four different matrilines were moving West below Lopez Island. It first appeared that they would continue moving West...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 27th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

Today was a perfect example of how quickly things can change while out on the water. We left the dock, took a right out of Friday Harbor and headed south. As we made our way through Cattle Pass we stopped at Goose Island to view a ton of hauled out harbor seals. We got great views at a slew of pelagic cormorants, glaucous-winged gulls and double-crested cormorants before making our way west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We passed by...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | June 26th, 2026 | 12:30pm

This tour left the dock in calm conditions, with the occasional light rainfall for a few minutes at a time; a very "PNW" type of afternoon! We thankfully had a very short transit to our first group of whales though, and the rain stopped just as we arrived! The T49As were moving East through Cayou Channel, so we chose to wrap around the bottom of Shaw Island and meet up with them on the other side of it. We timed this perfectly and were...

Kelly Klein | M/V Osprey | June 24th, 2026 | 12:30pm

The only whale report in our area was far north, so we wasted no time leaving the harbor and pointing up San Juan Channel. Thankfully, it was an absolutely gorgeous summer day here! We certainty enjoyed the clear skies, calm water and a gentle breeze cooling all of us off from the mid day sun . As we continued to transit north, we were treated to looks in almost every direction of harbor porpoise! Their small dark triangular fins surfacing like...