Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

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

This tour was able to leave the dock a few minutes early, and every minute counted because we immediately turned South and began travelling towards a report of whales down in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On our transit we still took a few moments to admire a perched Bald Eagle, Cattle Point Lighthouse on our right, and a large group of Steller Sea Lions on our left. Our crew knew the general area that these whales had been spotted earlier...

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...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | June 17th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

It seems like we are back in our warm weather and glassy waters streak as today was an exceptionally beautiful day in the Salish Sea! Getting to watch whales in glassy, green water while hearing their exhalations will never get old. We traveled towards Rosario Strait today to catch up with a report of some Bigg’s Killer Whales. The amazing water conditions allowed for perfect scanning conditons as well, so we searched along the interisland...

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...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | June 15th, 2026 | 1:30 pm

This afternoon’s windy forecast could not deter us in our search for whales! We began heading south, and had beautiful views of Mount Baker and even Mount Rainier in the distance, but quickly began to feel the wind and waves a bit more as we neared Cattle Pass. We got some looks at the Stellar’s Sea Lions on Whale Rocks among the strong current, but we definitely were rocking! Soon we moved on from the sea lions and followed along Lopez to...

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...

Kelly Klein | M/V Osprey | June 16th, 2026 | 12:30pm

The gentle breeze felt amazing as we left Friday Harbor and pointed north in San Juan Channel. Eventually we made our way west through Spieden Channel and into the Haro Strait. Two exhales erupted from the glassy calm water ahead. A pair of humpback whales identified as "Monarch" and "Yakima" were traveling side by side! We watched as they continuously surfaced, eventually throwing up their elegant tails to indicate a long deep dive. It's a bit...

Kelly Klein | M/V Sea lion | June 13th, 2026 | 12:30pm

The heat is here! We left Roche harbor as the sun was blazing, all of us on board appreciating the gentle breeze as the boat motored out of the harbor. We set our sights for Canadian water and made our way to Moresby Island. We soon spotted blows in the distance! 6 orcas identified as both the T124a’s and T86A’s including:

T086A/Eider — female, born in 1988

• T086A4/Akia — female, born in 2016

• T086A5/Siku — male, born in 2024

  T124A/Kittiwake —...

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 Osprey | June 14th, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

I hope everyone wore their sunscreen today, as it was a beautiful sunny day out on the water! M/V Osprey departed from Friday Harbor and took San Juan Channel northwards. We made a pit stop at a small island southwest of Waldron Island covered with rock sausages, AKA Harbor seals! 

After rounding the corner around Waldron, three blows were seen in the backdrop…it was three Bigg’s killer whales! Their movements were pretty variable today, so we...