Lauren Tschirhart | July 24th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm
Our 2:00 pm Adventure Tour began by cruising south towards Turn Rock to see if we could spot our otter friend. There has been a sea otter hanging out in one of the kelp forests just outside of Friday Harbor for most of the summer. This otter was indeed all cozied up, wrapped in the kelp bed at Turn Rock. We got great looks at this cute critter, and also noticed a bald eagle perched on the top of a green navigational marker. Next we double backed north, as there was a report of three Bigg’s Killer Whales near Eastpoint Lighthouse. We zoomed to the north, aiming for the waters of British Columbia. After about a 30 minute cruise, we crossed the border and officially made our way into Canada. The whales that were reported were none other than the T100’s. Not all members of the T100’s are always found traveling together. They are most often found traveling in a group of three. The three present for this encounter were:
- T100/Hutchins — female, born around 1979
- T100C/Laurel — male, born in 2002
- T100F/Estrella — (?) born in 2014
We hung out with this family as they cruised along the top side of Saturna Island. We watched as these whales zigged and zagged northwest before heading back south. We then made our way to Spieden Channel, where we got great looks at the harbor seals of Sentinel Rock. We departed the harbor seals to see if there was still a feeding frenzy happening on Spieden Island. An adult male mouflon sheep had died, and it quickly became a hot commodity for several birds of prey. My favorite part of the tour was watching a very bold raven try and feed on the carcass. The bald eagles were not having it. Every time the raven would get close, the bald eagles would scare it away. The raven was very persistent, and I admired watching it try its best. It was really cool to witness the sheer size difference of these two bird species. After several attempts, the bald eagles scared the raven away. It is so incredible to watch nature at work!