Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 21st, 2026 | 10:00am
On this particular morning, whale reports had been developing quite early in the morning. This was perfect for us, as we actually had options when we left the dock at 10am! We began by going strait into the inner islands and moving up West Sound, which is a body of water that juts up into the bottom of Orcas Island. We got to the top of West Sound and were welcomed with perfectly calm water and beautiful weather. We began watching the shoreline and were greeted with six black dorsal fins, it was the T109As! This family of Bigg's Killer Whales is led by their 36 year old mother/matriarch "Runaway". She was joined by her five youngest offspring, which includes a good mix of males, females, and juveniles. Just minutes after arriving, the whales began turning in many different directions and circling one small area. I then noticed a seal head pop up above the water. This unlucky pinniped had just encountered a family of apex predators, thus making this day their last. The circle of life! This family took their time prey-sharing their meal, showing quite a bit of splashing and surface behaviors while doing it. This is not always the case with hunts, so I'm always thrilled to see this! We spent some awesome time with these whales before eventually departing. We were only one hour into our tour, and there were more whale reports throughout the San Juans! We scooted around the top of San Juan Island into Haro Strait and encountered another family of six Bigg's Killer Whales moving North along the shore of Henry Island. These were the T49As who are an adored family by many folks around here! They are led by 40 year old "Nan", who is known for being an amazing mother. She's given birth to seven calves over her life, and all of them are alive and well today. On this day, she was joined by her five youngest offspring. This family is also full of males, females, and juveniles. They even have one of the youngest calves in the entire population! Little "Nimbus" was born just this past Spring, and might be the most playful calf that I've ever seen before. Just minutes after arriving, this family ALSO started to hunt a Harbor Seal. I don't know if I've ever seen back to back hunts like that! This family was also quite surface active while chasing and sharing this prey. A couple of whales even leaped out of the water a bit while pursuing it! We stayed and watched this family for a bit until they entered Spieden Channel, then began moving back towards Friday Harbor. On the way, we made a stop at Spieden Island to admire some deer and sheep species grazing on the hillside. We also saw a massive adult bald eagle perched on the edge of the bluff. It was almost like it was posing for us! We then saw a couple of Harbor Seals (alive this time) hauled out on the shoreline. After this, we cruised back down San Juan Channel and docked the boat before recapping an absolutely amazing morning out on the Salish Sea!
The IDs and details of the 12 Killer Whales that we saw are as follows:
Bigg's Killer Whales (12):
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
T49A "Nan" (F) b. 1986
T49A3 "Nat" (M) b. 2011
T49A4 "Neptune" (M) b. 2014
T49A5 "Nebula" (F) b. 2017
T49A6 "Charlie ll" (M) b. 2022
T49A7 "Nimbus" (?) b. 2026
This group of passengers was an absolute joy to talk to and get to know. Shoutout to the two happy couples celebrating a honeymoon and an anniversary! We thank everybody on board for choosing to spend their morning 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/