Lauren Tschirhart | June 6th, 2026 | M/V Osprey | 12:30 pm
Our Classic Tour aboard the M/V Osprey departed Friday Harbor and headed south in San Juan Channel. We cruised towards Cattle Pass and made our first stop at Whale Rocks where we usually have luck finding the largest species of sea lion in existence. Stellar Sea Lions are found in the North Pacific Arc and males can top out at a whopping 2,400 pounds! That’s like taking two large grizzly bears from Yellowstone and shoving them into one big sea puppy. After observing these pinnipeds, we made our way around the south side of Lopez Island, eventually cruising our way into Rosario Strait. After chatting with other captains out on the water, we knew we were getting close to a rumored group of orcas. We started seeing some vessels in the distance, and slowly made our way on scene. We were greeted by the family group known as the T099’s, this matriline of Bigg’s Killer Whales is composed of:
- (Matriarch) T099/Bella — female, born around 1984
- T099B/Holly — female, born in 2007
- T099C/Barakat — male, born in 2009
- T099D/Puck — male, born in 2015
- T099E/Qwiin qwiin oo quii la — female, born in 2021
We noticed these whales were pretty non-directional. They were just kind of milling around, circling one another, splashing a bit. It really seemed like they could have been hunting or prey sharing. Sometimes hunting and socializing behaviors can look similar, and we never caught a glimpse of any prey, but that doesn’t mean we weren't witnessing them hunt. Remember, these animals are Apex predators. They are at the top of the food chain, which means they are extremely efficient hunters. So efficient that sometimes they may share a meal right under our noses. They can make quick work of a 150 pound harbor porpoise or even a 250 pound harbor seal. We got great looks at this family before retracing our steps and heading back the way we came. Once we made our way back through Cattle Pass, we made one last stop at Goose Island to view the Double-Crested Cormorant nests and a slew of Glaucous-Winged Gulls. There were also an insane amount of harbor seals on the rocky outcrop just north of Goose. Depending on the tide, this area isn’t always the best place for harbor seals to haul out, but today the area was just littered with them. What a nice surprise to end our beautiful day exploring the Salish Sea!
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/