Abby | M/V Osprey | March 30th, 2026 | 1:30pm
Our trip on Monday was filled with sun rays and calm waters. We traveled south in San Juan Channel out of Friday Harbor. We always keep our heads on a swivel traveling around the Salish Sea as we never know what we are going to come across. In the treetops we saw Bald Eagles watching everyone pass by below. As we continued south, we passed Goose Island where we saw some Pelagic and Double Crested Cormorants. It is always neat to view the Double Crested Cormorant's stick nests! We had a long journey west of San Juan Island towards the area south of Victoria, B.C. We had a report from that area of two humpback whales! As we approached, we could see from a distance their infamous exhalations that can reach upwards of 15-20 feet out of the water! The individuals were already identified as (BCX1068) Split Fluke and (BCX1193) Zig Zag. Both individuals are females and were both first seen in 2006. However, Split Fluke migrates to and from Mexico for the winter breeding season while Zig Zag migrates to and from Hawaii for the winter breeding season. It was an incredible opportunity to see these two female humpback whales together in the Salish Sea after traveling such far distances! We had a great view of both of their tail flukes as they went on a deep dive. The rest of the time we were with them, they mostly stayed at the surface and we had many great opportunities to hear them exhale, one of my favorite sounds. They would leave "footprints" on the water's surface which can be viewed in certain sea conditions. These are calm patches of water that are created when the whale just barely grazes the surface of the water from underneath. When it was time to leave and head back towards Friday Harbor, we made a stop at Whale Rocks to view some Steller's Sea Lions hauled out on the rocks. Every time I see them, I can't believe how truly big they are - upwards of 2,400lbs for the males! We spotted more Bald Eagles on our way back into Friday Harbor and enjoyed the sunshine as it welcomed us back to the dock.
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/