Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Friday, August 28, 2026 | 10:00AM
Every trip as we are leaving the harbor, we alert everyone on board that they are now officially apart of the search team. Between the captain and I, that is only four eyeballs scanning for signs of wildlife. However, now that everyone has been primed as naturalists with intros of common marine mammals to see in the Salish Sea, as well as how to spot them, we have an additional 20 eyeballs. We tell every guest that the search starts NOW, as whales have been seen just outside the harbor on a handful of trips. Low and behold, today was one of those days. The search had not even begun!
Not one, but two matrilines of Bigg’s Killer whales were minutes from the dock in San Juan Channel off Shaw Island. These two matriarchs are not just any two mothers; it is speculated that Reef is Hutchins’ mother, and that Laurel and Estrella are her grandchildren!
- T100/Hutchins — female, age 47
- T100C/Laurel — male, age 24
- T100F/Estrella — male, age 12
- T101/Reef — female, age ~57
- T101A/Rush — male, age 33
- T101B/Lagoon — male, age 29
It is relatively rare to see three fully grown adult Transient males with those 6-foot dorsals on the same scene, so this was really such a treat. The T101s are also a relatively elderly family; females average at 60 years and males 30 in this population. You could smell the maturity and wisdom and sheer power in the air from these three.
After waving goodbye to these six, we headed south down San Juan Channel and stopped at Goose Rock for some major harbor seal and cormorant viewing, followed by Whale Rocks for Steller sea lions. Cattle Pass is well-known as an area of strong current and tidal exchange, and it was definitely ripping today. When the engine was shut down, we floated by those Stellers at nearly 6 knots, like a lazy river. Thanks so much for the lovely morning everyone!
More information on the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/