Aly Liu | M/V Osprey | Thursday, July 30, 2026 | 12:30 pm
Today was the epitome of a summer July day out on the water here in the San Juans; the sun was shining, the wildlife was incredible, and the energy was high! Our first sighting of the day was a lone Stellar sea lion hugging the shore in Upright Channel, one of the prey items of the group of animals in store for us through Rosario Strait by Fidalgo Island.
Here are the two families of marine-mammal-eating Bigg’s killer whales we had the pleasure of sharing the water with today!
- T036/Flapjack — female, born before 1970
- T036B/Tattertip — female, born in 1998
- T036B1/Bhotia — female, born in 2009
- T036B1A/Maple — female, born in 2025
- T036B2/Greenfelder — female, born in 2013
- T036B4/Auk — born in 2024
- T036B1/Bhotia — female, born in 2009
- T036B/Tattertip — female, born in 1998
- T037A/Volker — female, born in 1994
- T037A2/Inky — male, born in 2009
The movements of these killer whales were quite unpredictable, popping up in a new location with each series of breaths, keeping us on our toes. This meant we had our engines off for the majority of our time, not only to respect these animals, but also to enjoy the magical sounds of their breaths at the surface. We got adorable looks at the two calves, and Indy even had some seagrass draped around his dorsal!
We told the bald eagle and sea lion off the northwest side of Lopez Island how grateful we all were for what we had just witnessed in the Salish Sea before cruising home to Friday Harbor.
Check out the photos we took onboard today at: https://sanjuansafaris.smugmug.com/
More information on the Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/