Lauren | M/V Osprey | Monday, June 23rd, 2025 | 2:00 PM

The Bigg’s Killer Whale matriline the T049A’s is a group of 7 whales in total, but seeing all 7 traveling together is a rarity. The two eldest boys tend to travel solo, or with other relatives or non-related whales. This family includes:

• T049A/Nan — (F) 1986
  • T049A1/Noah — (M) 2001
  • T049A2/Jude — (M) 2007
  • T049A3/Nat — (M) 2011
  • T049A4/Neptune — (M) 2014
  • T049A5/Nebula — (F) 2017
  • T049A6/Charlie II — (M)  2022

Today was a very special day, because we were...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Friday, June 20th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Our Friday Adventure Whale Watch and Wildlife tour was about as exciting as they come. Captain Eric and I were jazzed when we got word that the T065B’s and the T075B’s were found not far from the Friday Harbor dock. These two young families have been swimming around the Salish Sea together the past several days. 

The M/V Kestrel headed north and made our first stop at Sentinel Rock in Spieden Channel. Sentinel Rock is one of our favorite...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Thursday, June 19th, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Although Bigg’s Killer Whales usually just travel in their individual matrilines (mom and immediate offspring). We will occasionally see multiple groups gathering together for mating and socialization. These groupings can last a few hours, a few days, and sometimes even a few weeks. For the last several days, the T065B’s and the T075B’s have been seen traveling together. These two moms, who are both in their early 30’s have been traveling...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Monday, June 11th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

We were spoiled today. There were whale reports galore, and the Salish Sea was booming with wildlife! Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife tour ended up seeing three different Bigg’s Killer Whale families in three different bodies of water! 

We began our tour by heading east on an inter-island cruise. Our destination was to Rosario Strait to catch up with a family of Bigg’s Killer Whales known as the T123’s. This family of four was taking...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Monday, June 9th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

We started our Classic Whale Watch & Wildlife tour by taking an inter-island cruise. We headed east across San Juan Channel and made our way into Upright Channel. Our first stop was to take a look at an active bald eagle's nest on the northeast side of Shaw Island. After getting great looks at this eagle in its impressive nest, we continued towards a whale report near Orcas Island. I’m not sure if it’s just a coincidence, or maybe the whales...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Saturday, June 7th, 2025 | 12:30 PM

Today I had one of the most rewarding days of my career. I got to finally meet one of the whales I got to nickname! Each whale in the Coastal Biggs population gets an alphanumeric designation, along with a nickname. For the alphanumeric designation, each family gets a number and then it goes back-and-forth between letter and number based on lineage. For example, in this family of whales, the matriarch's designation is T036B. Which means...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Friday, June 6th, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Our Adventure Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour began with the M/V Kestrel heading south in San Juan Channel. We slowly cruised by Goose Island getting looks at the Double-Crested Cormorant nests with Cattle Point lighthouse as the backdrop. We made our way into the Strait of Juan De Fuca admiring the beautiful Olympic Peninsula in the distance. We then headed Southwest towards an exciting whale report! We got word that at least two families of...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Thursday, June 5th, 2025 | 3:00 PM

We had a triple fluking extravaganza on our Adventure Tour today! We began our journey by heading north in San Juan Channel. Our first order of business was to search through Boundary Pass. Boundary hadn’t been scanned in awhile, so we decided to see if anything had popped up. We exited San Juan Channel and cruised into Spring Passage, pointed northeast towards Presidents Channel. While searching for whales, we decided to take our guests...

Lauren | M/V Osprey | Wednesday, June 4th 2025 | 12:30 PM

We started our Classic Whale Watch & WIldlife Tour off by taking a left out of Friday Harbor and heading north into San Juan Channel. Our first stop was to McConnell Island to view two bald eagles perched high up on a tree top. We made our way into Spring Passage and then northeast into Presidents Channel. As we made our way towards Rosario Strait we were greeted by gorgeous views of Mount Baker. We then traveled to the northwest point of...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Our Adventure began with a cruise out of Friday Harbor, heading north in San Juan Channel. Our first stop was to White Rock to observe a slew of harbor seals. Harbor seals make up around 70% of the Coastal Bigg’s (or Transient) Killer Whales diet. These seals are extremely abundant in the Salish Sea, which is one reason why our Bigg’s Killer Whale sightings have been increasing over the past several years! Harbor seals are not only extremely...