Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | August 15th, 2026 | 5:30pm
We left the dock feeling quite confident on this evening, as a legendary family of Bigg's Killer Whales were quite close to San Juan Island. They were coming down Eastsound near Orcas Island, and pointed towards us facing West. We had a short 20 minute ride to the whales from the dock, then were met with the beautiful sight of three black dorsal fins cutting through the water. It was the T19s, which is an adored family in this population. They are led by their mother "Nootka" who is one of the oldest whales in the population. Her sons "Galiano" and "Spouter" are both absolutely massive. Every time I see these whales I am in shock of their size. We watched these whales slowly make their way through the inner islands. They at one point stopped near a small rock formation and may have been hunting. We then saw one of the two brothers stick their massive flukes up in the air as they did a handstand. This is not common and totally took us by surprise! As the sun began setting these whales led us right back to San Juan Channel which is just East of San Juan Island. We got some lasting looks at them as we slowly departed these beautiful creatures. We then went a bit North and checked out nearby Spieden Island. There is a fascinating history behind this island and we saw many species near it's shoreline! We then circled a small island called Sentinel Rock and looked at a ton of Harbor Seals. There were several small pups with them which was adorable. From there we cruised back down San Juan Channel and returned home to Friday Harbor and recapped an absolutely epic evening on the Salish Sea.
The IDs and details of the three Killer Whales that we saw are as follows:
Bigg's Killer Whales (3):
T19 "Nootka" (F) b. <1965
T19B "Galiano" (M) b. 1995
T19C "Spouter" (M) b. 2001
This group of passengers was full of excitement and amazing questions. We thank them for choosing to spend their day with us here at San Juan Safaris!!!
Wanting to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/
More information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/