Welcome to the Whale Report Blog

Olivia Ellman | M/V Sea Lion | June 27th, 2026 | 5:30 pm 

Tonight was a magical evening in glassy waters watching killer whales, what a dream! We departed Friday Harbor and went north to follow up on a few reports near Spieden and the surrounding boundary waters, and were not disappointed in what we found! We cruised past Spieden and continued towards Flattop where we soon saw some black dorsal fins along the rocky shoreline. I was excited to find the T49A family traveling here, a group I haven’t...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 27th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm

Today was a perfect example of how quickly things can change while out on the water. We left the dock, took a right out of Friday Harbor and headed south. As we made our way through Cattle Pass we stopped at Goose Island to view a ton of hauled out harbor seals. We got great views at a slew of pelagic cormorants, glaucous-winged gulls and double-crested cormorants before making our way west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We passed by...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | June 26th, 2026 | 2:00 pm 

The population of Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales in the Salish Sea is growing exponentially every year; sometimes you must only travel 15 minutes before spotting their blows!

After going north up San Juan Channel from Friday Harbor, we hung out with the T049A matriline of Bigg’s killer whales, including the following individuals:

T49A "Nan" (F) b. 1986

• T49A3 "Nat" (M) b. 2011
• T49A4 "Neptune" (M) b. 2014
• T49A5 "Nebula" (F) b. 2017
• T49A6 "Charlie ll" (...

Olivia Esqueda | June 24th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00pm

Today’s Adventure Tour spoiled us despite the distance; we had calm seas and even a warm wind hitting our faces! Heading north through San Juan Channel, we passed heaps of Harbor Porpoise-literally everywhere! We consistently saw these small cetaceans our entire route up through Canada. Dipping through Navy Channel, we eventually threaded the needle in Georgeson Pass and entered the Strait of Georgia. Looking directly at Vancouver, B.C, we...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | June 26th, 2026 | 12:30pm

This tour left the dock in calm conditions, with the occasional light rainfall for a few minutes at a time; a very "PNW" type of afternoon! We thankfully had a very short transit to our first group of whales though, and the rain stopped just as we arrived! The T49As were moving East through Cayou Channel, so we chose to wrap around the bottom of Shaw Island and meet up with them on the other side of it. We timed this perfectly and were...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 25th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm 

Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour was filled with overcast skies and orca whales! Our cruise began by departing Friday Harbor and making a stop near Point Caution to view a bald eagle. We continued northeast, eventually making our way into Presidents Channel. We made another stop at Skipjack Island to observe some rock sausages, aka harbor seals. Next we cruised by Eastpoint Lighthouse on Saturna Island, eventually making our...

Lauren Tschirhart | June 21st, 2026 | M/V Sea Lion | 5:30 pm

Our Roche Harbor departure aboard the M/V Sea Lion began with us departing the dock and heading northwest over the top of Henry Island. We cruised across the Haro Strait, eventually making our way into British Columbia. After crossing the Canadian border, we started to see several dorsal fins in the distance. These dorsal fins belonged to members of the Bigg’s Killer Whale family the T100’s. Although there are other whales in this...

Kelly Klein | M/V Osprey | June 24th, 2026 | 12:30pm

The only whale report in our area was far north, so we wasted no time leaving the harbor and pointing up San Juan Channel. Thankfully, it was an absolutely gorgeous summer day here! We certainty enjoyed the clear skies, calm water and a gentle breeze cooling all of us off from the mid day sun . As we continued to transit north, we were treated to looks in almost every direction of harbor porpoise! Their small dark triangular fins surfacing like...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 23rd, 2026 | 2:00 pm

After a successful morning whale search, Captain Vaun and I were confident we would find whales again for our afternoon trip.  As the day went on, more reports had come in and we were excited to check out some rumors in Rosario Strait. Today was also a particularly hot day, so it was wonderful to be zooming on the Salish Sea again! We departed Friday Harbor and made our way east in between Lopez and Shaw and then through Peavine Pass. Mount...

Olivia Ellman | M/V Kestrel | June 23rd, 2026 | 9:00 am 

Captain Vaun and I began our morning as the first PWWA vessel searching our area for whales on our 9:00 tour, which meant that anything was possible! We departed Roche Harbor and decided to head north east toward the boundary waters, pointing towards Waldron Island. We stopped at White Rock to view some harbor seals and a bald eagle that was being harassed by a group of gulls. It’s always amazing how the smaller birds can intimidate an...