
Logan Stecker | M/V Kestrel | August 20th 2025 | 10:00 am
Today we had an amazing time viewing whales in an area we rarely go to: Skagit Bay!
We started our trip going south to search for whales in the Juan de Fuca enjoying the beautiful weather and views of the Olympic mountains. On the way we stopped at Whale Rocks and watched a group of Steller Sea Lions fighting and splashing about on the rocks. Each grunt was guttural, and we got a great smell for them too, it was quite an intimate time enjoying the largest sea lion species in the world in our amazing waters. This time of year its mostly males out on these rocks as no rookeries have been established in our area yet.
We then got a report that a group of transient killer whales has entered deception pass so we followed them. Passing under the bridge was magical! Having just driven across two days made the connection to this place wonderful and I hope other people who had traveled across Whidbey to get to the ferry had this connection as well. The change in the water here was great to witness as water sped through the tighter channels, two kayakers made their way across the currents as we passed, which was really cool to watch them figure out the puzzle of navigating the channel.
We got to the whales further down in Skagit Bay. These were 5 killer whales in the family T099s. This included the mother (Bella) and 4 of her youngest children. The were quite active and we got to observe a full breach, multiple tail slaps and spyhops, and even a suplexing a seal in the mouth of the larger male in the group. It was very exciting and made the longer drive worthwhile! Some of the best killer whale watching of the summer.
On our way home we got a surprise viewing of a humpback at the southern tip of Sna juan Island! We got great view of it coming up to breathe and make a tall blow like a tower made of cloud. This was the cherry on top to our trip and really shows how magical an ecosystem the Salish Sea is to host such a myriad of ocean life.
This was truly such a great day to be out learning about wildlife and these wonderful creatures! These experiences stick with me and I hope our passenger too.