Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, August 15, 2026 | 10:00 AM
At the beginning of each tour, I say that there are only four eyeballs between the captain and I, and that we need help from each and every passenger to scan for signs of wildlife, and that the search has already begun. And when I asked Captain Vaun if he had anything to add, he said that he has already spotted blows. We had not even picked up speed out of Friday Harbor yet! In minutes, we were at the southwest coast of Shaw Island, watching one of my favorite families of Bigg’s killer whales:
- T019/Nootka/Mooyah — female, born before1965
- T019B/Galiano — male, born in 1995
- T019C/Spouter — male, born in 2001
This was a thrilling encounter, as their movements were unpredictable and ever-changing, so we enjoyed the enormous “booofffff” noises of the two big boys releasing massive exhales over their ~6 foot dorsal fins with our engines shut down. We wished Nootka, Galiano, and Spouter a great rest of their day and continued north through San Juan Channel to Spieden Island, where we found Mouflon sheep scaling a cliff after munching on some algae snacks by the water. We circumnavigated Spieden and headed towards home, when suddenly, the boat slowed. It was a different family of Bigg’s killer whales!!!
- T049A/Nan — female, born in 1986
- 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
We enjoyed a few surfacings from these 6 whales before continuing towards Friday Harbor after the family went on their next deep dive. And then, they popped up yet again; they wanted to keep hanging out! However, we limit the time we spend in their home, and soon after returned to the harbor. Thanks to every passenger and whale that made today so special!
More information on the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/