Olivia Ellman | M/V Osprey | May 24th, 2025 | 12:30pm
We had another amazing day on the water during our afternoon Classic Whale Watch! We began by heading north up San Juan Channel, and then followed the west coast of Orcas island. As we rounded the top of Orcas Island, Mt. Baker was the perfect backdrop as we made our approach to a group of Bigg’s Killer Whales! We could see four dorsal fins surfacing together, which turned out to be the T123s. T123A Stanley looked especially majestic as his large dorsal fin broke the surface. The group made a surprise appearance off our stern, giving us a much closer view! Soon enough it was time to move on from this group, so we watched them swim towards Sucia Island and slowly pulled off.
We continued our trip to the west, and as we approached Saturna Island of British Columbia, Canada we could see the distinct blow of a humpback whale in the distance. Once we got close enough across the Canadian border, we could see that this was none other than our favorite whale celebrity Big Mama and her 2025 calf! We enjoyed a few looks at them slowly traveling at the surface and got to see two beautiful fluking dives before it was time to turn south towards Friday Harbor. The perfect weather and beautiful whales set our spirits high as we travelled home, ending another fantastic day in the Salish Sea.