Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | September 28th, 2026 | 1:30pm
This tour left the dock and began moving South. We chose to turn and cruise around the West side of Turn Island and spotted some Harbor Seals and Cormorants while over there. We then continued down San Juan Channel and were treated to some views of black dorsal fins entering the bottom of the channel! We were already heading to this report of whales, but they had decided to travel North and come our way, how nice of them! We quickly went over to Whale Rocks and got some great looks at Steller Sea Lions that frequently reside there. Many of them were resting on the rocks, but some were splashing around in the water nearby. After leaving these huge pinnipeds, we moved back North to catch up to our Killer Whale friends that we had passed by. As we approached, we said hello to a well known family of Bigg's Killer Whales in this region, the T109As! This family of six whales is led by their mother/matriarch "Runaway" who is 36 years old. She has given birth to eight calves in her life which is very impressive. She currently travels with her five youngest offspring, which includes a calf who was born just last year! We watched these whales swim through Griffin Bay sticking pretty close to shore. This family includes a 14 year old male named "Garrett" who is really beginning to sprout his huge dorsal fin. It is likely almost five feet tall already, and will grow to roughly six feet tall over the next few years. The whales eventually approached Dinner Island which is near Jackson's Beach on the San Juan shoreline. I spotted some Harbor Seals hauled out on the small rocks near the island. Suddenly, the whales appeared within the rocks from a dive, they were hunting the Seals! All six fins began popping up amongst the rocks pointing in different directions. I noticed "Garrett" very aggressively thrashing around in the same spot where I had just seen a Seal jump in the water (see above photo). I think it's very likely that he grabbed one in this moment, and it's very possible that other members of the family did too! It was a quick meal though, as they continued moving further into the bay after this. They very well could have been eating as they swam, but that's impossible to confirm from above the water. We watched these whales exit Griffin Bay and start to round North back into San Juan Channel. We said goodbye and departed this awesome family of whales. We made one more stop at a Kelp Bed near Turn Island to visit an adorable Sea Otter! This little guy loves this spot, and we are lucky enough to see him quite often these days. He was wrapped up in the kelp, resting on his back. We got some great looks before leaving and returning back to Friday Harbor. What a fun afternoon on the Salish Sea!
The IDs and details of the six total whales that we saw are as follows:
Bigg's Killer Whales (6):
T109A "Runaway" (F) b. 1990
T109A4 "Garrett" (M) b. 2012
T109A5 "Argyle" (?) b. 2014
T109A6 "Riley" (F) b. 2018
T109A7 "Wieland" (M) b. 2021
T109A8 "Weiss" (?) b. 2025
This group of passengers was awesome and had so many great questions. We thank them for joining us this afternoon!
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/