Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | September 6th, 2026 | 12:30pm
This was an exciting day for our crew, as an uncommon report of Bigg's Killer Whales popped up near Friday Harbor in the morning. The reason for it being uncommon was not because of the type of whales, but because of the individuals themselves. T65 "Whidbey" and T63 "Chainsaw" had made a rare appearance to the inner San Juan Islands and were making their way down San Juan Channel. Whidbey is one of the older living females in the population, and her son Chainsaw has what most people would consider the most recognizable dorsal fin in the population. The fin features two massive gashes near the top of the trailing edge, thus inspiring his name. He is one of my favorite whales, and I had not seen him in roughly a full year. I was so excited to say hello to him again! This duo was also joined by another fan favorite Bigg's Killer Whale. T137A "Jack" was accompanying them. Jack is the oldest sibling in the T137 family, but has been away from his family for several months now. He's often been seen with other families, or sometimes all by himself. He has done similar field trips in the past so we expect him to eventually reunite with his family, but nobody knows when that may happen! We left the dock and pointed South down San Juan Channel and spotted several Harbor Porpoises swimming past us within just a few minutes! We then made a quick stop at Goose Island which resides in Cattle Pass just off of the bottom of San Juan Island. Here we got great looks at Harbor Seals and several species of Cormorants. We then continued South into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This massive body of water was as calm as a lake today which made for beautiful viewing conditions. Within just a few minutes we caught up to the trio of Bigg's Killer Whales and began to see their dorsal fins cut through the surface of the water. It looked like just before we got there, Jack had begun to split off from the mother/son duo. He was pointed to the Southeast, while Whidbey and Chainsaw were pointed Southwest. We chose to get some looks at Jack first and it was amazing. The lighting was perfect and he gave us beautiful views of his massive six foot tall dorsal fin. He certainly is one of the bigger adult males in the population. Then we moved a bit West and began seeing Whidbey and Chainsaw. Mom was a bit further ahead, with Chainsaw trailing behind. They were spending quite a long time at the surface of the water, taking several breaths. Then they'd go down for a longer dive. We slowly approached and got a feel for their direction and speed, and eventually got a couple amazing looks at Chainsaw as he followed his mom through the calm waters. It was so quiet and we were able to hear him breathe so clearly. It may have been the best look that I've ever gotten at him before! Despite his tough appearance with his dorsal fin scars, he is likely the biggest Mama's Boy in the entire Bigg's population. He has never left his mother's side in his 48 years of life. Eventually, we said goodbye to these legendary whales and began heading back North towards San Juan Channel. Along the way, we were surprised by a Minke Whale who popped up to feed near us! These baleen whales love to hangout in this area near Salmon Bank, using the bank to trap groups of small schooling fish that they like to eat. They are the most elusive species of whale that we see in this region, as their movements are very random and unpredictable. Today was an exception however, as we got several great looks at this whale as it circled Salmon Bank! From there we entered back into San Juan Channel, stopping for looks at tons of Steller Sea Lions as well as a stop to view an adorable Sea Otter. We then returned to the dock and recapped an awesome day on the water filled with so many different species!
The IDs and details of the four total whales that we saw are as follows:
Bigg's Killer Whales (3):
T65 "Whidbey" (F) b. <1968
T63 "Chainsaw" (M) b. 1978
T137A "Jack" (M) b. 2002
Minke Whale (1):
- Unidentified Minke
This group of passengers was awesome and had so many great questions. We thank them for joining us this afternoon!
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/