Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | July 1, 2026 | 12:30 pm
Happy July everyone! M/V Osprey had a spectacular day out on the water, finding five species of marine mammals.
1/5: Just moments southeast from Friday Harbor, we found a haul-out of Harbor seals off Turn Point, and even found a second haul-out site after continuing south down San Juan Channel at Goose Island, where we also marveled at both pelagic and double-crested cormorants.
2/5: After getting our true-seal fix, we found the largest species of eared seal on Earth at Whale Rocks: Steller sea lions!
3/5: The first two marine mammals we saw are both prey items of the third we found in Griffin Bay: a solo Bigg’s (Transient) killer whale! Noah’s family, including the matriarch and her offspring, includes the following:
Matriarch: T049A/Nan — female, born in 1986
T049A1/Noah — male, born in 2001
T049A2/Jude — male, born in 2007
T049A3/Nat — male, born in 2011
T049A4/Neptune — male, born in 2014
T049A5/Nebula — female, born in 2017
T049A6/Charlie II — male, born in 2022
T049A7*/Nimbus — born in 2026
T049A1 is known to travel separately from his matriline, so this was not an unusual sight to see.
4/5: I even saw my very first minke whale of the season today. The minke and Noah crossed paths momentarily, both going on rather deep dives; as minke whales can also be potential meals for the marine-mammal-eating orcas, we kept our eyes peeled for any signs of pursuit.
5/5: After waving goodbye to our toothed and baleen whales, we spent some more time with the Steller sea lions at Whale Rocks, and spotted a fifth species of marine mammal on our transit back north to Friday Harbor: Harbor porpoises!
To everyone who chose to spend their afternoon in the San Juans with us, thanks a ton, and we hope to see you again!
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/