Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 18th, 2026 | 9:00am
We left Roche Harbor with no whale reports in the area yet, which is very common for a tour this early. The beauty of the Salish Sea though is that there is always wildlife to be found if you search hard enough! We began by moving up Spieden Channel and wrapping around Stuart Island. We suddenly spotted two Steller Sea Lions swimming North through the water. This was quite surprising to me, as the Stellers that choose to stay in the Salish Sea for the Summer are usually quite further South than this. We then stopped to admire Turn Point Lighthouse, which is the most Northwest point in the continental United States. From there we moved East and continued searching along shorelines, stopping at one point to admire tons of Harbor Seals hauled out on a rock formation. We continued North and searched around East Point on Saturna Island. We were just leaving this area to search a bit more South when we got great news; a fellow PWWA vessel had found Bigg's Killer Whales just a few miles South of us! We made the quick commute down to Waldron Island and got our first looks at six black dorsal fins. It was the T49As who are an adored family in this region! They are led by their mother/matriarch "Nan" who is known for being an outstandingly good mom. All seven of her offspring are alive and well to this day. She was accompanied with her five youngest children, who are made up of a mixture of ages and genders. This included little "Nimbus" who was born just earlier this year! We got some amazing looks at these whales, even turning off our engines to hear them breathe a few times. We watched them as they moved Southwest towards San Juan Island. We eventually said our goodbyes and departed, returning to Roche Harbor and recapping an absolutely beautiful morning spent on the water!
The IDs and details of the six Killer Whales that we saw are as follows:
Bigg's Killer Whales (6):
T49A "Nan" (F) b. 1986
T49A3 "Nat" (M) b. 2011
T49A4 "Neptune" (M) b. 2014
T49A5 "Nebula" (F) b. 2017
T49A6 "Charlie ll" (M) b. 2022
T49A7 "Nimbus" (?) b. 2026
This group of passengers was a joy to be out on the water with. We 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/