Abby | M/V Kestrel | May 24th, 2026 | 2:00pm
We left our dock today in Friday Harbor with a full boat, and reports of whales within our range. Today we headed interisland through Upright Channel, between Shaw and Lopez Island. We then cruised through Peavine Pass between Obstruction Island and Blakely Island. Once we exited that small passage, we saw some harbor seals hauled out on Spindle Rock. Not far away from Spindle Rock was a buoy with a pair of Steller's Sea Lions. It wasn't just any Steller's though; it was a mom nursing her pup! It was incredible to be able to see this duo today. We continued north in Rosario Strait as the report we had was between Orcas Island and Lummi Island. The report in that area was for a group of three Bigg's Killer Whales already identified as the T018's/T019's.
- T019/Nootka/Mooyah — female, born before1965
- T019B/Galiano — male, born in 1995
- T019C/Spouter — male, born in 2001
These three were quite spread out, but we got the best looks of the oldest male, Galiano. There was one surfacing where Galiano appeared to suddenly change directions/maneuver differently while at the surface. We all saw this sudden behavior, and we kept on observing to see if anything else were to change. During the rest of our time with them there did not seem to be any indications of hunting or prey sharing, but it was certainly neat to see a change in his behavior. Nootka was traveling significantly further in front of her sons, and we got our best looks from her when we were departing the area. This group is always neat to see because of how old Nootka is and the size of her two fully grown male sons.
Before we headed back to the harbor, the captain and I decided to make another quick pit stop to see if we could find a humpback whale that was reported in Spieden Channel. So, from the northeast side of Orcas Island, we headed west traveling through President Channel and rounding the corner of Green Point to begin scanning for any sign of this humpback. We knew it was somewhere in Spieden Channel, but it had been a while since another whale watch vessel was with this individual. It was not long until we saw those exhales! This humpback was already identified as BCX1795, Scuttle. A male humpback who migrates to and from Mexico. We only stayed with Scuttle for one surfacing before he went on a deep dive. However, during that surfacing we saw him do a peduncle throw, or as I liked to say a peduncle dunk. We aren't sure exactly what he was trying to communicate whether it be positive or negative, but either way it was neat to observe this behavior from him today. It was a wonderful way to end our trip as after our time with Scuttle we headed back to Friday Harbor!
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/