Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Abby | Osprey | 6/3/2021

We sprinted out of Friday Harbor, southbound. Wind was as high as the hype since orcas were spotted just south of Lopez Island. I passed through guests, smiles gracefully scattered along the railings, awaiting black fins cutting through the water.

There they were. Our not-so-transient transients (AKA Bigg’s killer whales):

• Jan T134, Female, Born <1959
• Scott T132, Male, Born <1969
• Plus, three other unidentified Bigg’s killer whales in this group.

All five orcas were porpoising along through the five-foot swells as we clung to the railings in shock and awe. Squeals rang through the boat’s atmosphere and children laughed at the size of the swells, yelling, “it looks like we’re flying through the air!” Indeed, we were flying through endorphins as we watched Scott (T132) in all his massive glory, swimming like a missile through each wave, as if going through a glass portal upon every dive.

Orcas swam into the hearts of all on board today as we chatted about the beautiful views and the major ecological changes we are going through in the Salish Sea. We saw some tasty “rock sausages,” or harbor seals, a favorite snack of Scott, Jan, and the other three orcas. We arrived back into the harbor, forever changed.

Big Mama is my hero. 

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 06/02/2021 | 2:00

Today was a classic example of how spontaneous and serendipitous whale watching here in the San Juan Islands can be. We left the harbor without a concrete plan: whales hadn’t been spotted in US waters, or if they had, they had only just hopped the border and disappeared into Canada. 

With the guidance of Captain Brian, we turned north, heading up the San Juan Channel towards Boundary Pass. 

We stopped at Spieden...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 06/01/2021 | 2:00

I woke up this morning with one of those unexpected, unwarranted gut feelings that today was going to be awesome. Today we were going to see something really special. And that we did. 

We set out of Friday Harbor heading north. Like days prior, we were getting reports of whales off Saturna Island, hugging the US/Canadian border. 

Now historically, because of the Right of Free Passage, this would be absolutely no stress. However, given the...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | May 31st, 2021 | 12:30pm

Congratulations to anyone in the islands today- it was officially the hottest day all year! We spend every day out on the water with multiple layers on despite the temperature because these waters stay around 47 degrees year-round. With that wind flooding off the cool water, it makes for chilly trips even in the dead of summer. Lucky us! We had a lack of wind, blue skies stretched as far as we could see, and degrees. In the 3 years I...

Jordan | M/V Sea Lion | 05/30/2021 | 2:00pm

Captain Pete and I enjoyed a beautiful day today! 

We grabbed our guests and headed north out of Friday Harbor towards northern waters to explore. We shot up in between Waldron and Orcas Island and spotted a whole group of harbor porpoises bobbing up and down all around us! They were so cute. 

As we reached Patos Island near the boarder of Canada, we enjoyed a gorgeous view of the lighthouse and Mount Baker glowing in the sun amongst the...

Abby | Kestrel | 5/30/2021

The boat was full and everyone suited up. The cetaceans were out of the country; two humpback whales in Canadian waters and the orcas from this morning also heading further into international territory. We took off out of the harbor and jetted North through San Juan Channel. At least the sun was on our side; nutrient-rich waters lit up while harbor porpoises somersaulted over small wave breaks in the sea.

We decided to try our luck with the humpbacks after...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | May 30th, 2021 | 12:30pm

Our sunny Sunday started off with heaps of Pigeon Guillemots exploring the inner Friday Harbor as we slowly made our way out of the hustle and bustle of the holiday traffic. Scouting out reports from multiple directions around the San Juan Islands, we made the decision to head north up San Juan Channel in the direction of the outer islands!

We were able to pass not only more Pigeon Guillemots, but also Rhinoceros Auklets, a variety of...

Abby | Kestrel | 5/30/2021

Today we had the A/B Team; Abby the naturalist (me!) and Captain Brian. It was 10am and looking like a typical northwestern island day; dew sat in circular mounds atop blades of grass, while deer pranced about the island in the morning fog. We left the harbor in Kestrel, without the slightest bit of indication on where we’d begin our journey. We headed South through San Juan Channel and cut across Cattle Point into the Haro Strait. Finally, a friendly...

Jordan | Kestrel | 05/29/2021

What a beautiful day out on the water!

Captain Brian and I took the Kestrel out of Friday Harbor and and headed north through the San Juan Channel. We heard whispers of whales up north so we boated towards the Canadian boarder. Weaving between islands, we emerged near Waldron Island. He continued further as we boated into open waters near Patos Island!

Here we saw blows! It was a humpback whale!! The beautiful black back arched out of the water as she...

Abby | Sea Lion | 5/29/2021

We set out on M/V Sea Lion. Or at least, we tried. At the lowest tide of the year (or more notably, the past few years), we began our reverse into some shallow water. With the wake from the ferry and hardly any depth, we motored forward and tried again. This time, Captain Pete reversed almost symphonically, as the crowd on the stern cheered in joy that the ferry wake had ceased long enough for us to pull out of the harbor.

We made a beeline for the...