Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | Saturday, September, 5 2026 | 12:30 pm
Beautiful weather plus one of my favorite families of killer whales plus a personal Minke whale milestone...what a fantastic day out on the water.
We headed east from Friday Harbor through Upright Channel. The ferry terminal on Lopez Island suddenly became visible, along with three large exhalations…it was three Bigg’s killer whales! And, not just any killer whales, but one of the most beloved families here in the Salish Sea. Galiano and Spouter are two (massive) fully-grown adult males, perfectly exemplary of the male orca tendency to be major “momma’s boy’s.”
- T019/Nootka/Mooyah — female, ~61 years old
- T019B/Galiano — male, 31 years old
- T019C/Spouter — male, 25 years old
The first few surfacings from this family were quite spread out, with each individual on apparent side quests, before all reuniting as a matrilineal unit near Lopez Sound. We waved goodbye and began to circumnavigate Lopez Island, but the journey was far from over! We found several harbor porpoises before locating a minke whale in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, who made their presence known with a massive splash! This was the first time in my life I had ever seen more than the dorsal fin of a minke, as they are quite shy and elusive at the surface. On the way back home through San Juan Channel, we watched Steller sea lions mid-feeding frenzy at Whale Rocks, and even a sea otter at Turn Rock.
Thank you passengers, thank you whales, thank you Salish Sea!
Check out the photos from today at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/
More information on the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/