Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | July 2, 2026 | 12:30 pm
M/V Osprey took off into the fall-like rainy haze this afternoon from Friday Harbor and headed northeast through Upright Channel. Our first wildlife sighting was not one, but two bald eagles perched atop evergreen trees on the north side of Lopez Island. We continued eastward through Thatcher Pass, and upon entering Rosario Strait, our captain spotted 4 blows. It was the matriarch of a family of Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales and her three kids:
- T065B/Chunk — female, born in 1993
- T065B1/Birdsall — male, born in 2011
- T065B2/Nettle/Corvis — male, born in 2019
- T065B3/Rook — male, born in 2023
We enjoyed incredible looks of this family surfacing; Birdsall even showed off a piece of eelgrass draped around his dorsal fin. My heart started beating a little bit faster when Gretzky (BCX1800), a humpback whale from Hawaii, entered the vicinity of these marine-mammal-eating killer whales. We watched in anticipation as these whales got closer and closer to each other with Deception Pass Bridge in the backdrop. The T065Bs appeared to swim far ahead of the humpback’s path, made a 180, and started heading towards Gretzky. Then, Gretzky’s direction also changed, and suddenly we heard a massive exhale! And just like that, we had killer whales to our left starboard, and a humpback to our right starboard. Gretzky made good speed headed the opposite direction, evading a potential pursuit.
We closed the afternoon at Whale Rocks, where 2400 pound Steller sea lions were roaring and grumbling at one another.
Thanks to everyone who shared this Twilight-esque adventure with us!
Want more information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association? See https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/
Want to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/