Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | June 11th, 2026 | 2:00pm
We left the dock feeling quite confident this afternoon, as it seemed like there were Bigg's Killer Whales all over the San Juan Islands! Plus, the weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We began with a short transit to the top of San Juan Island to catch up with the T100s in Spieden Channel. This family is led by 47 year old matriarch "Hutchins". She was accompanied by her son "Laurel" and her youngest offspring "Estrella". Hutchins has two more living daughters, but they do not always travel with her anymore. We were super excited to see these three, as they are not whales that spend a ton of time in this area! It was my first time seeing them this season, but hopefully not the last! We watched them turn the corner and start heading down San Juan Channel, at one point getting quite close to land. As much as we didn't want to leave, there were more whales in the area! We headed through Wasp Passage and Cayou Channel which divide Orcas Island and Shaw Island. As we arrived at the top of Upright Channel, we were met by a wonderful sight; the T123s! This fan-favorite family of four has been absolutely loving the San Juans this season, and have been around for the last several weeks. Led by matriarch "Sidney", we watched her children "Stanley', "Lucky", and "Darcy" accompany their mother as they moved Southeast. We got some beautiful views of these whales passing by some Washington State Ferries, and we admired at how absolutely massive T123A "Stanley" is! The ID's and details of the two families (seven whales total) that we saw are as follows:
T100 "Hutchins" (F) b. 1979
T100C "Laurel" (M) b. 2002
T100F "Estrella" (?) b. 2014
T123 "Sidney" (F) b. 1985
T123A "Stanley" (M) b. 2000
T123C "Lucky" (F) b. 2012
T123D "Darcy" (F) b. 2018
Just seconds after leaving the T123s, we noticed a Harbor Seal head pop up off the left side of our boat. One of our passengers joked that the seal should probably follow us away from those marine mammal eating Killer Whales! We then admired a Bald Eagle nest on our route back to San Juan Channel. The Eagles may have been whale watching too, because nobody was home today! We then capped off the tour viewing a Sea Otter that has taken a liking to a kelp bed just outside of Friday Harbor. They were on the very edge of the bed using a piece of kelp to keep themselves from floating away. They were grooming their dense coat and looking cute as ever. We got some awesome moments spent with this uncommon species (for the Salish Sea) before entering Friday Harbor and putting an end to a super fun trip!
We had such a great time with this group of passengers and thank them for choosing to spend their day 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/