Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | July 26th, 2026 | 5:30pm
This tour left Roche Harbor in slightly foggy conditions, as some rainfall had just lightened up before we left the dock. I personally am a huge fan of viewing whales in conditions like these, so I was super excited to get out there! We left the harbor and turned East. We almost immediately were surprised by two Steller Sea Lions swimming past us! I do not often see this species in this part of the Salish Sea, so this was a treat. From there we had our eyes set on Jones Island. Another boat had found a Humpback Whale feeding near Jones just before we left the dock. We wrapped around the other side of the island and were met with a blow from that very whale! It was moving South at a comfortable pace. The whale had been identified as a six year old Humpback named "Bandit". This whale's gender is unknown, but we do know that they migrate up here each year from their breeding grounds down in Mexico. We were the only boat out on the water with this whale when we arrived, and it was so special hearing each and every breath as they came to the surface. "Bandit" also was treating us by showing their fluke before almost every single dive. Some Humpbacks never show their flukes, so this was really exciting to see! We watched "Bandit" move down San Juan Channel and eventually pass right by Friday Harbor. It was such a cool visual seeing the marina just past this beautiful whale. We then departed and said goodbye to "Bandit", and went just a bit further South to view a Sea Otter in a kelp bed near Turn Rock! This little guy can sometimes be found here, despite this species being very rare to these inland waters. He was grooming himself and flipping over in the kelp, looking as cute as ever. As we were viewing him, we suddenly heard a loud "WHOOSH"; it was "Bandit" again!!! They had continued South over the past 30 minutes, and passed right by the kelp bed that we were viewing. It was so nice to see a couple of more unexpected surfacings from them before leaving our new Sea Otter friend. From there we went back North up San Juan Channel. We also saw SO many birds on this trip. I've personally never seen so many Rhinoceros Auklets in one trip, we even saw some with multiple fish in their beaks! We also saw Common Murres, Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Various Gull Species, Bald Eagles, and a Black-Legged Kittiwake! To wrap up the trip, we did a cruise along the South shore of Spieden Island. It has an extremely interesting history, and we were lucky enough to see all three land species that can be found there. Sika Deer, Fallow Deer, and Mouflon Sheep covered the hillside of the island as the sun was setting. We were then treated to an adorable group of Harbor Seals that were hauled out on a nearby large rock. We then turned into Roche Harbor and said our goodbyes as we docked the boat.
The IDs and details of the Humpback whale that we saw are as follows:
- BCX2081 "Bandit" (Gender Unknown) b. 2020 (Mexico)
This group of passengers were a joy to be out on the water with. We want to thank them for choosing to spend their evening 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/