Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | March 14th, 2026 | 12:30pm
Light rain and the low hanging grey clouds kissing the evergreens made for a classic PNW backdrop as we left Friday Harbor and pointed south down San Juan Channel. All we had was a loose report of some type of whale coming out of Deception Pass, a long haul for the ole M/V Sea Lion, but with no other reports to investigate, it was our best bet. We quickly departed Cattle Pass and made our way south east. Not too long after pointing that direction, found ourselves on scene with an juvenile humpback! Typically when we spot these extra early migratory visitors, the are the young whales not yet sexually mature (so no need to overstay their welcome at breeding grounds). This humpback was lunge feeding close to the surface! On a couple occasions flashing those baleen plates. What a rare treat! We very seldom see humpback feeding at the surface!
After stellar looks at the small humpback we heard word that a group of killer whales was spotted close by! Two families identified as:
- T036/Flapjack — female, born before 1970
- T036B/Tattertip — female, born in 1998
- T036B1/Bhotia — female, born in 2009
- T036B1A/Maple — female, born in 2025
- T036B2/Greenfelder — female, born in 2013
- T036B4/Auk — born in 2024
- T036B1/Bhotia — female, born in 2009
- T036B/Tattertip — female, born in 1998
- T137/Loon — female, born in 1983
- T137A/Jack — male, born in 2002
- T137B/Tempest — female, born in 2006
- T137D/Wright — female, born in 2012
We hung our whale warning flag (a whale tale flag that indicates to other boaters that there are whales in the area) and cautiously approached the group of 10 whales from a 1/2 mile. We quickly realized this was not your normal Bigg's killer whale encounter...these whales were active! My best guess is straight up social play, we witnessed the group spit up into smaller groupings as they spy hopped, tail slapped and occasionally fully breached in the process. This truly seemed like social hour! Interestingly, the one large male, T137A "Jack" was typically off to the side separated from the other orcas. Maybe the big guy needed some alone time? The moody PNW weather made from a perfect backdrop to all this orca action.
After that unforgettable killer whale encounter, we pointed back toward Friday harbor. Still buzzing from all the action, we were thrilled to have one final surprise! Captain Gabe spotted a sea otter in the middle of the Straight of Juan De Fuca! He was likely making its way to one of our kelp beds to feast on sea urchins. You just truly never know when the wildlife sightings will end until you're tied up in the harbor. To see photos from this tour click here: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/31326-kk