Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | July 15, 2026 | 2:00 pm
Today was the epitome of what we call an adventure tour full of diverse wildlife, with sunshine and smiles circulating M/V Kestrel. We did not have to go very far to make our first stop; not one, not two, but THREE backs of the humpies (humpback whales). These Megaptera novaeangliae were traveling south down San Juan Channel, where we crossed paths at Rocky Bay. Seeing the sequence of three 15-20 foot blows gracefully erupt in a straight line was quite impeccable. With the engines off, we could hear each molecule of water leaving their blowholes, and they even made unique noises known as “trumpeting.”
Then, after making our way northeast through President’s Channel, we spotted three more dorsal fins, but this time, they were Bigg’s killer whales! Here are the IDs, genders, and birth years of the family we saw at the southeast side of Waldron Island today:
T100/Hutchins — female, born around 1979
- T100C/Laurel — male, born in 2002
- T100F/Estrella — (?) born in 2014
From there, we were treated to a haulout of Harbor seals at White Rock. As a bird nerd, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many great seabirds out there, including Black oystercatchers, pigeon guillemots, bald eagles at Cactus Island, and even a family of 5 harlequin ducks, which I had not seen in ages!!
Special thanks to our guest Danny, who had his last tour with us today of 15 total in the last month. We can’t thank you enough for spending so much of your time out on the water with us, you will be missed! Your unwavering passion and endless curiosity for these whales are truly special to us at San Juan Safaris, and we hope to see you again.
Want more information about the Pacific Whale Watch Association? See https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/
Want to see more photos from our trips? Visit our SmugMug page at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/