Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Lauren Tschirhart | May 28th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

The M/V Kestrel departed the dock for our 2:00 pm Adventure Tour and headed north in San Juan Channel. We had an exciting first stop in mind… A few days ago a dead Steller’s Sea Lion washed up on the south side of Spieden Island. Getting out in nature and going whale watching gives you the rare opportunity to view the circle of life, live and direct. This dead pinniped has been serving as nourishment for several birds of prey. After...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | May 29th, 2026 | 2:00pm

This trip truly put the word “adventure” in our Adventure Tour! We took the M/V Kestrel up San Juan Channel and headed West while wrapping around the top of San Juan Island. Our first stop was to view a group of Bald Eagles and Turkey Vultures feeding on a Steller’s Sea Lion carcass located on Speiden Island. This is not a common sight, and the Bald Eagles were especially active throughout this! We then crossed Haro Strait in rather windy...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | May 28th, 2026 | 12:30 pm

Some days on the water are the most unexpected, action packed trips… When we left the harbor today, we had reports of some killer whales in the south so we decided to head in that direction. We knew that they had been hunting a sea lion earlier in the day, so we figured that by the time we got there they would be hanging out in the area pretty tired out. I was excited to get out there and see what these whales were up to!

On our way...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | May 27th, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Before leaving the harbor we had word of a few different reports in our area, so we set off north to see where we would end up for the day. First, we made our way to Spieden where I was eager to check out the dead stellar sea lion that has been on the edge of the island for days… This was an exciting opportunity to see many bald eagles (adult and juvenile) and vultures up close, and to think about our ecosystem as a whole. Before we began...

Lauren Tschirhart | May 25th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30 pm

Just like humans, killer whales are visually all unique from one another. Also like humans, sometimes they have uncanny resemblances to one another. There are two whales in the Coastal Bigg’s population that are fairly hard to tell apart. Those whales are known as T123/ Stanley and T060C/ Yelnats, hence the name. Yelnats is Stanley spelled backwards. When identifying killer whales, you want to look for three types of distinct markings to...

Lauren Tschirhart | May 24th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 1:30 pm

Today I got the opportunity to see something I have never knowingly observed before, which was a Stellar Sea Lion pup! Before getting into why that is such a rarity, let’s start from the beginning.Our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife tour departed Friday Harbor and headed towards the ferry route. We crossed San Juan Channel and cruised through Upright, eventually making our way through Peavine Pass on the north side of Blakely. Once we made...

Aly Liu | May 27th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 pm

Today, we departed Friday Harbor with a boat packed to the brim and hearts full of anticipation for the awesome afternoon ahead. We began our long journey north through San Juan Channel and President’s Channel with spectacular looks of Mt. Constitution and Turtleback Mountain on Orcas. Koma Kulshan, also known as Mount Baker, was as stunning as ever in the distance. 

As we cruised northwest towards the boundary waters between Patos Island and...

Olivia Esqueda | May 26th, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30pm

Today was genuinely such a beautiful day on the water, especially after a rainy morning! The sun came out as we headed north through San Juan Channel and made a brief stop at Spieden Island to check out some Steller’s Sea Lions. After watching these giant Pinnipeds roll around in the water, we continued on into Canadian waters following up on a report of orcas. 

Transiting past Moresby Island and ending up northwest of Sidney, near Salt...

Lauren Tschirhart | May 23rd, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

I cannot begin to express how excited I was leaving the dock today. It felt like a Memorial Weekend Miracle! All six members of the T065A’s were spotted traveling together in Rosario Strait. The T065A's were my first ever favorite family. They were around quite a bit the summer of 2021, my first year living on San Juan, and they totally stole my heart. Back then, it wasn’t as rare to see the entire family group together. All the boys in...

Lauren Tschirhart | May 22nd, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

Today was my first tour of the season aboard the M/V Kestrel. Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife tour began by exiting Friday Harbor and heading north into San Juan Channel. We cruised into New Channel, on the northeast side of Spieden Island, and scanned for wildlife, but did not spot any critters. We continued on, crossing into Canadian waters, making our first official stop at Mandarte Island. Mandarte Island is home to the largest...