Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | Friday, June 13th 2025 | 2:00 PM

Wow...what an unforgettable day on the water! We started our tour pointed South in San Juan Channel, stopping at Whale Rocks for looks at the ever so entertaining Steller sea lions. Dozens of sea lions occupied these rocks, up to their usual shenanigans which include: fighting, belching and napping right on top of one another. We slowly peeled away from the pinniped hotspot and set sail for Canadian water. A family of killer whales identified...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Saturday, June 14th 2025 | 1:00 PM

We had no time to waste! The only whales reported in our area were very far away in the Canadian Gulf Islands. We took a hard left out of Friday Harbor and pointed north up San Juan Channel. We enjoyed the gorgeous scenery as we slipped over the border and into Canadian water. Some guests were lucky enough to catch a few looks at harbor porpoise as we crossed Boundary Pass and entered Plummer Sound. Thankfully, we heard from other boats in...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | Sunday, June 15th 2025 | 2:00 PM

Heading south in San Juan Channel, our first stop was for our ever so lovable harbor seals. This haul out site near Turn Point provided a perfect example of the wide variety in coat patterns unique to the Salish Sea. Some seals pitch black, others snow white and every mixture in between! Moving further down San Juan Channel, through Cattle Pass and into the Straight of Juan de Fuca we eventually came on scene with 4 killer whales identified...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, June 14th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

During our afternoon trip on Kestrel, we got to cruise around the Canadian Gulf Islands and spend time with two different families of Bigg’s Killer Whales! We left Friday Harbor and headed north up San Juan Channel. Shortly after crossing the Canadian border, we stopped near Saturna Island to view a group of harbor seals resting on a small island. We then continued northwest to catch up with a group of whales that had been reported...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | Thursday, June 12th 2025 | 2:00 PM

Today's afternoon trip took our breath away, especially if you're a porpoise…

When we left Friday Harbor, we were excited to begin searching for wildlife along San Juan Channel. We made our way to Spieden Island and got to see a number of bald eagles and harbor seals. We circled around Spieden and soon reached a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales! This was one of my favorite families the T123s, and we could see Stanley’s large dorsal fin...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Monday, June 11th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

We were spoiled today. There were whale reports galore, and the Salish Sea was booming with wildlife! Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife tour ended up seeing three different Bigg’s Killer Whale families in three different bodies of water! 

We began our tour by heading east on an inter-island cruise. Our destination was to Rosario Strait to catch up with a family of Bigg’s Killer Whales known as the T123’s. This family of four was taking...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Monday, June 9th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

We started our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife tour by taking an inter-island cruise. We headed east across San Juan Channel and made our way into Upright Channel. Our first stop was to take a look at an active bald eagle's nest on the northeast side of Shaw Island. After getting great looks at this eagle in its impressive nest, we continued towards a whale report near Orcas Island. I’m not sure if it’s just a coincidence, or maybe the whales...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Saturday, June 7th, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Today I had one of the most rewarding days of my career. I got to finally meet one of the whales I got to nickname! Each whale in the Coastal Biggs population gets an alphanumeric designation, along with a nickname. For the alphanumeric designation, each family gets a number and then it goes back-and-forth between letter and number based on lineage. For example, in this family of whales, the matriarch's designation is T036B. Which means...

Kelly | M/V Osprey | Wednesday, June 10th 2025 | 12:30 PM

We took a hard right out of Friday Harbor and headed south in San Juan Channel. After some quick looks at harbor porpoise outside Griffin Bay, we made a pitstop at Goose Island. This Island is a hotspot for a variety of wildlife including harbor seals, cormorants, an glaucous wing gulls. As we made our way through Cattle Pass, guest's noticed the how turbulent the water was around us. This is caused by a process called upwelling! Our...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Friday, June 6th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour began with the M/V Kestrel heading south in San Juan Channel. We slowly cruised by Goose Island getting looks at the Double-Crested Cormorant nests with Cattle Point lighthouse as the backdrop. We made our way into the Strait of Juan De Fuca admiring the beautiful Olympic Peninsula in the distance. We then headed Southwest towards an exciting whale report! We got word that at least two families of...