Levi Vandebunte | M/V Sea Lion | October 16th, 2026 | 12:30pm
We left the dock on this tour and pointed South down San Juan Channel. It was stunningly beautiful weather, especially for mid October! We travelled into the Strait of Juan de Fuca towards a report of Bigg's Killer Whales. We admired wonderful views of Mount Baker and Cattle Point Lighthouse on our way there. We even got an awesome look at a Harbor Porpoise! Not long after that we arrived on scene with a family of six Bigg's Killer Whales, it was the T35As! This family is led by their matriarch "Lester". She travels with her four living offspring. The oldest of those four, "Opal" also has a brand new calf of her own! This little one was born just earlier this year, and is Opal's first calf. The glassy water and sunny conditions made for absolutely epic views of this family. We watched them as they were split into three pairs, then eventually grouped back together. As soon as they grouped up I noticed lots of direction changes while they stayed and milled in one area. I then noticed several very arched dives. While we can't be completely sure as we did not see any prey, I think it is highly likely that they were eating a meal at this time. While they were milling we were surprised by a spyhop from "Opal"! She completely lifted her head vertically out of the water. This is my favorite behavior that these whales exhibit so I was very excited. We then watched them eventually continue moving Southwest as they had been before their presumed meal. We were able to shut down our engines and hear the exhalations of several whales which was magical. Eventually, we said goodbye to this family of six whales and began heading back towards Friday Harbor. Along the way we made a stop at Whale Rocks which is located in Cattle Pass to admire a massive congregation of Steller Sea Lions. They can be found here year-round, and I love getting to view them when our tours take us past this location. Several of them were play-fighting and splashing around in the water, while most of them were sleeping in the sunshine. From there we travelled back up San Juan Channel and returned back to our dock. What an awesome October afternoon on the Salish Sea!
The IDs and details of the six total whales that we saw are as follows:
Bigg's Killer Whales (6):
T35A "Lester" (F) b. 1998
T35A1 "Opal" (F) b. 2010
T35A1A (Unnamed) (?) b. 2026
T35A2 "Topaz" (?) b. 2013
T35A3 "Garnet" (?) b. 2018
T35A4 "Agate" (F) b. 2022
This group of passengers was so much fun to be on the water with and asked so many amazing questions. We thank them for joining us this afternoon!
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/