Levi Vandebunte | M/V Osprey | August 3rd, 2026 | 1:30pm
This trip had it's first wildlife sighting before we had even untied our lines from the dock. An adorable mother/pup pair of Harbor Seals swam just past us after our passengers had boarded. This certainly started the day off on the right foot! We left the dock with beautiful weather on this tour which is always a plus. We travelled South down San Juan Channel, and our first stop was at a small island called Goose Island. We got great looks at several Harbor Seals, including some very small pups which were adorable! There were also dozens of Double-Crested and Pelagic Cormorants that were surrounding several huge nests at the top of this island. From there we continued South past Cattle Point Lighthouse into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This massive body of water extends quite far West and eventually connects to the Pacific Ocean, so lots of marine life use it as their route into and out of the San Juan Islands. We were heading to a report of Bigg's Killer Whales to the Southwest, so we pointed that direction and continued our journey. We eventually crossed into Canadian waters and were greeted by five black dorsal fins cutting through the surface of the calm glassy water! These whales had been identified as the T100s (3 whales) and the T101s (2 whales). The T100s are led by their mother/matriarch "Hutchins". She was accompanied by her two sons "Laurel" and "Estrella". The T101 family is led by their mother/matriarch "Reef" who is one of the older whales in the entire Bigg's Killer Whale population! She usually is also accompanied by her two sons, but only the younger brother, "Lagoon" was present today! These two families have been seen travelling together a good amount this season. "Laurel" and "Lagoon" are both fully grown adult males, and their six-foot tall dorsal fins towered over the other three! We got so many incredible moments with these whales throughout this encounter. We eventually said goodbye to our five friends and began moving back towards home. Along the way we spotted some Harbor Porpoise and so many cool bird species! When we made it back to Cattle Point, we made a stop to view some Steller Sea Lions on a nearby rock formation called Whale Rocks. There were several sleeping on each other, and some others swimming in the water down below. I'm always impressed by the immense size of these creatures. We then quickly spotted a Bald Eagle perched on top of a different rock formation! This tour had such a wide variety of species in it which was amazing! From there we returned back to the dock and recapped a magical day on the Salish Sea.
The IDs and details of the five Killer Whales that we saw are as follows:
Bigg's Killer Whales (5):
T100 "Hutchins" (F) b. 1979
T100C "Laurel" (M) b. 2002
T100F "Estrella" (M) b. 2014
T101 "Reef" (F) b. 1969
T101B "Lagoon" (M) b. 1997
This group of passengers was full excitment and tons of amazing questions. We thank them for choosing to spend their day with us here at San Juan Safaris!!!
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/