Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

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

Our guests aboard the M/V Osprey got to spend the day observing a group of 6 “Bigg’s” or Transient Orcas. We got to hangout with members of the T046B’s, the specific individuals present during today’s encounter were: 

• T046B/Raksha — female, born in 1988
  • T046B2/Akela — female, born in 2008
    • T046B2B/Takaya — female, born in 2023
  • T046B4/Quiver — male, born in 2014
  • T046B7/Tala — (?) in 2023
  • T046B8/Pi — female, born in 2026

We watched as these whales...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | July 11, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

Have you ever attended a T-party? And I don’t mean your typical cup of oolong or earl grey, but rather Transient killer whales! 

We began our journey on the M/V Osprey this afternoon by traveling north up San Juan Channel and west through Spieden Channel, where we enjoyed looks of mouflon sheep on the south side of Spieden Island. Then, around the corner into Haro Strait, we came on scene to killer whale SOUP! Or, shall I say, a pot full of six T’s...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | July 11th, 2026 | 10:00am

We left the dock with our options wide open on this morning. There weren't any solid reports within our range yet, which meant that we were going to start out in search mode. We decided to head Northeast and check out an area that consists of several small islands such as Flattop and Waldron. These islands are full of Harbor Seals, so we frequently see Bigg's Killer Whales here while they circle the islands in search of a meal. We admired...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | July 10th, 2026 | 12:30pm

This tour had almost immediate excitement. We left Friday Harbor and turned North. About one minute later we spotted a bald eagle standing near the shoreline of San Juan Island. It appeared that it had something in it's talons, but we could not yet tell what it was. Suddenly, the eagle flew off while still holding the prey. We could now clearly see that it had the limp body of a black fox kit in it's talons! We were shocked by this, as...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | July 9, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

Here is a recap of the incredible adventure aboard Kestrel, our speediest vessel, this fine Thursday afternoon! We cruised north from Friday Harbor through President's Channel past the east side of Waldron Island. Faces quickly lit up as the captain slowed our vessel to under 7 knots, as we were indeed approaching a group of 6 Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales! Here are the IDs, names, genders, and birth years of the individuals present:

• T046B/Raksha ...

Lauren Tschirhart | July 8th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm 

Our Wednesday Adventure Whale Watch and Wildlife Tour was filled with an abundance of different species. We got to see two different species of baleen whales, two species of pinnipeds as well as a variety of birds. Our first plan of action was to head in the direction of a humpback whale report. This humpback had been reported traveling east in Rosario Strait. A fellow Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) member informed us that the...

Kelly | July 10th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 am On this mornings adventure tour the only whale report to investigate was deep in the Canadian gulf islands, so we wasted no time heading that direction. Pointing north up San Juan Channel and eventually into the bigger body of water known as Boundary Pass, quickly slipping over the border and into Canadian water. After navigating into the gulf islands we began to slow the boat and watched as 6 distinct dorsal fins rise from the water. This family...

Olivia Esqueda | July 9th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30pm

 

Today ended up being a bit breezy out on the water, but still so sunny and beautiful with incredible cloud formations around the islands, making it an aesthetic boat ride through the San Juan Islands. We headed north through San Juan Channel, passing Flattop Island and finding our way over to White Rock where there was a haul out of Harbor Seals. There were so many color morphs in this group, ranging from all black, all white, yellow, and...

Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | July 8, 2026 | 12:30 pm 

Just moments after leaving the dock at Friday Harbor, a 15-foot blow was seen in the helm off of Canoe Island. Then, a tail fluke descended beneath the Salish Sea. Not only is this fluke beautiful, but it also allows us to match the unique coloration pattern to our photo-identification system; hello humpback whale “Kiarra Kelly” (BCX2473)! This baleen whale is relatively young (first seen in 2022) and is named “Kiarra Kelly” (BCX2473), traveling...

Lauren Tschirhart | July 7th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

Our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour today completed a full circumnavigation of Orcas Island. We departed Friday Harbor and headed north in San Juan Channel. We made our way in between Jones and Orcas Island and then cruised into President’s Channel. While boating through President’s we got great looks at several harbor porpoise surfacing on the port side of our vessel. We made our way into Rosario Strait and were heading for Barnes...