Lauren Tschirhart | May 11th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm
Today was my first day back to work after spending a winter in Hawai’i, and what a welcome back it was! I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my sixth season here with San Juan Safaris. Our tour started with a behind the scenes debate on which way to go. We already knew of two different groups of Bigg’s killer whales in the area, one north of Friday Harbor, and one south. It’s always incredible when there are options before we even leave the dock. After some healthy bickering between Captain Gabe, Naturalist Olivia and I, we ultimately decided to go south. The decision was predominantly based on the fact my son, T046B1C/ Tide was in the group of nine whales spotted. I call Tide my son because I actually got the opportunity to give him his nickname, and since it was my first day back… To Tide we went!
We took a right out of Friday Harbor and headed south towards Cattle Pass. We did a slow cruise by Goose Island, where a female elephant seal was spotted. Elephant seals are pretty rare to see in the inland waters of the Salish Sea, so getting the opportunity to see that species is always a treat. Shortly after exiting Cattle Pass, we made our way into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and started getting glimpses of dorsal fins in the distance. As we got on scene we were greeted by a big splash. A killer whale had just breached clear out of the water! I guess it was a good thing that we decided to go south…
After chatting with the other Pacific Whale Watch Association vessels that were there before us, we got word that this group had just killed a Stellar sea lion! Although we were bummed that we missed the hunt, there was nothing to complain about as we were about to witness a post meal celebration. What was also special about this encounter is we were witnessing an extended family reunion. We had the T046B1’s, the T123’s, as well as T046C2/ Sam, a 17 year old female that does not often travel with her mother and siblings. Although the T123’s have their own alphanumeric designation, further research suggests that they are also a part of the T046 lineage. We spent time with these whales as they circled one another, sharing their meal. Orcas are known to hunt as a group, and will pass food back-and-forth to one another. This means a group this large would have to hunt several times a day to feed the entire family. After the whales finished eating, we observed lots of different surface behaviors. We saw breaches, spyhops, tail slaps and a lot of rolling around. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing four year old T046B1C/ Tide breach right in front of Mount Rainier!
On our way back towards the harbor, we stopped at Whale Rocks to view some hauled out Stellar sea lions, and then even got the chance to see a sea otter hanging out in the bull kelp off of Turn Island. I think it’s safe to say my 2026 whale season is off to a brilliant start!
Want to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/