Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | July 4th, 2026 | 10:00am
This tour had some unknowns while leaving the dock. There weren't many reports out there yet, but we were prepared to search. We initially had planned on heading East and searching some area in Rosario Strait, but just minutes after leaving the dock we received a rumor of Killer Whales to the Northwest. The report was quite vague, and from somebody on land, which means we would likely have to search once getting to the area. We decided to take a chance and try it. We headed Northwest towards Cowichan Bay, making some quick stop for other wildlife along the way. We enjoyed great looks at Bald Eagles, Harbor Seals, and the foreign species that reside on Spieden Island (Sika Deer, Fallow Deer, and Mouflon Sheep). After crossing over the boarder into Canadian waters, we entered Saanich Inlet. Luckily, another boat had just found some of the whales from that earlier report just before we arrived. The gamble we took had paid off, as we set our eyes upon seven Bigg's Killer Whales! The group was made up of the T99s and the big brothers from Alaska known as T128 and T125A. We almost immediately saw some tail slapping, followed by multiple breaches! The whales were so spread out that you could see surface activity in almost every direction! Over the rest of the encounter we observed so much tail slapping, headstands, inverted tail slapping, rolling, and pec slapping. These whales were so amazing to watch! After some awesome time spent with them, we began departed and leaving Saanich Inlet. We were pleasantly surprised at the sight of more Killer Whales passing us! The T109As had decided to join the party, and were heading towards those other seven whales FAST. We spent a few minutes watching them, leaving just before the two groups merged.
The IDs and details of the 13 total whales that we saw are as follows:
T99 "Bella" (F) b. 1984
T99B "Holly" (F) b. 2007
T99C "Barakat" (M) b. 2009
T99D "Puck" (M) b. 2015
T99E "Qwiin qwiin oo quii la" (F) b. 2021
T109A "Runaway" (F) b. 1990
T109A4 "Garrett" (M) b. 2012
T109A5 "Argyle" (?) b. 2014
T109A6 "Riley" (F) b. 2018
T109A7 "Wieland" (M) b. 2021
T109A8 "Weiss" (?) b. 2025
T125A "Jetsam" (M) b. 1998
T128 "Flotsam" (M) b. 1988
After leaving, we enjoyed an absolutely beautiful transit back home to Friday Harbor. This was one of my favorite trips of the season so far, and this group of passengers was a joy to have aboard. We had such a fun time with them, and thank them for choosing to spend their Fourth of July 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/