Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 12th, 2021 | 12:30pm

Every day is a complete surprise on where we travel around the Salish Sea depending on where whales and wildlife are being spotted. That means, often we head off in one direction and end up turning a different way. Today was one of those days where we initially pointed south down San Juan Channel and immediately got a report of a Gray Whale picked up just north of Friday Harbor. By the time we got on scene, the baleen whale was on the...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 11th, 2021 | 12:30pm

Let me preface this blog with saying: This was the BEST HUMPBACK WHALE EXPERIENCE OF MY ENTIRE LIFE.

We love the fact that more and more baleen whales are returning to these waters year after year and coming back with their young calves, who in turn return the following year as well. Once heavily whaled out of this area, it took a long time (this most recent decade, in fact) for these whales to start returning to our waters to feed. One...

Haleigh | M/V Osprey | June 9, 2021 | 5:30pm

Our Wednesday night sunset tour began with us racing north up San Juan Channel to catch the reported 8 Bigg’s Killer Whales before they crossed the US-Canadian Border. We witnessed this same group hours earlier at the Southern end of San Juan Island, and knew their travel pattern was taking them up along the West side of the island heading North. In the group, we saw T65A Mother (Female, 1986) with her calves T65A2 (Male, 2004), T65A3...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 9th, 2021 | 12:30pm 

Heading south through San Juan Channel, we started our whale watching adventure by checking in on a whale rumor in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. By the time we passed Cattle Point Lighthouse, we caught sight of black dorsal fins on the southwest side of San Juan Island. This was a delighted sight since the initial reports were far south in an area called Hein Bank, a shallow bank in the big waters if the strait. Bigg’s Killer Whales and...

Maxx K. | M/V Osprey | 06/07/2021 | 12:30

It was a beautiful day here in Friday harbor. The sun beamed down on me and Laura as we guided our guests down the dock towards Osprey where Haleigh and Gabe waited to assist them aboard. 

We left the harbor heading south down the San Juan Channel towards the Juan de Fuca. We stopped almost immediately to admire a dozen or so harbor seals that were hauled out around Turn Point. With the sun just over them we could clearly see how diverse the...

Laura | M/V Osprey | 6/4/2021| 12:30

It was a wonderful day out in the Salish Sea this afternoon!  We headed north through San Juan Channel and started looking for all the prey items of our Bigg’s killer whales, like seals, sea lions and harbor porpoises!  We searched through Spieden Channel and found some adorable harbor seals and bald eagles!  Spieden Island is a great place to check out our bald eagle population and look for some cool non-native animals that have been residing...

Olivia | M/V Osprey | June 5th, 2021 | 12:30pm

Leaving the dock today, our Captain decided to push north towards some whale rumors creeping in from Speiden Channel. This made the easy decision to move north through San Juan Channel in hopes of seeing some large, black and white dolphins before they swam into Canada. With Covid-19 border restrictions still in effect, we are unable to view any whales in Canada as of right now, meaning we work as hard as possible to navigate around...

Abby | Kestrel | 6/4/2021

We had a long journey northward through the Strait of Georgia, right next to the Canadian border. The sky was cloudy and orca vibes fluttered among the sparkling blue-green waters of the Salish Sea. When we arrived at the last known location of some unidentified Bigg’s killer whales, we saw three blows on our port side. One on the starboard. Holy orcamole (like guacamole, get it?), one at our 12 o’clock! We were smack dab in the middle of an orca soup. They...

Abby | Osprey | 6/3/2021

We sprinted out of Friday Harbor, southbound. Wind was as high as the hype since orcas were spotted just south of Lopez Island. I passed through guests, smiles gracefully scattered along the railings, awaiting black fins cutting through the water.

There they were. Our not-so-transient transients (AKA Bigg’s killer whales):

• Jan T134, Female, Born <1959
• Scott T132, Male, Born <1969
• Plus, three other unidentified Bigg’s killer whales in this group.

All five orcas were porpoising along through the five-foot swells as we clung to the railings in shock and awe. Squeals rang through the boat’s atmosphere and children laughed at the size of the swells, yelling, “it looks like we’re flying through the air!” Indeed, we were flying through endorphins as we watched Scott (T132) in all his massive glory, swimming like a missile through each wave, as if going through a glass portal upon every dive.

Orcas swam into the hearts of all on board today as we chatted about the beautiful views and the major ecological changes we are going through in the Salish Sea. We saw some tasty “rock sausages,” or harbor seals, a favorite snack of Scott, Jan, and the other three orcas. We arrived back into the harbor, forever changed.

Big Mama is my hero. 

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 06/02/2021 | 2:00

Today was a classic example of how spontaneous and serendipitous whale watching here in the San Juan Islands can be. We left the harbor without a concrete plan: whales hadn’t been spotted in US waters, or if they had, they had only just hopped the border and disappeared into Canada. 

With the guidance of Captain Brian, we turned north, heading up the San Juan Channel towards Boundary Pass. 

We stopped at Spieden...