Elle | M/V Osprey | 9/17/2022 | 1:30PM

Today we headed out of the harbor with no whale sightings reported nearby. Because none of the whales in this area have tags that report their location, we rely on our own visiual sightings and our partners in the Pacific Whale Watch Association to find wildlife here in the Salish Sea. We know that small, schooling fish like to congregate on banks (underwater hills) like the ones just south of San Juan Island. We also know that seals, sea lions...

Elle | M/V Kestrel | 9/11/2022 | 2:00PM

Today's adventure tour headed south into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On our journey towards the Olympic Peninsula, our passengers braved sea spray and choppy waters as we soared through the smoky haze. Just a few miles from Dungeness Spit, We witnessed a large group of Bigg's killer whales from the T34 family and the T37 family swimming quickly amidst the waves. We even got to see some porpoising, which is when a marine mammal launches itsself...

Lauren | M/V Kestrel | 8/31/2022 | 2:00 PM

Today was the last day of August, which means our peak season for whale watching will soon be coming to an end. We see whales on 90% of our tours from June through August. Our “peak season” doesn’t actually refer to the peak of whale action, but the peak of eyes on the water. None of the whales in the area are tagged, and we don’t use any kind of sonar to find them. As members of the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA), we work...

Elle | M/V Osprey | 8/25/2022 | 1:30 PM

Today we headed north, following a report by a few other whale watching captains. On our journey we passed through President’s Channel where we saw harbor seals and harbor porpoises swimming in the water next to our vessel. Then we crossed Boundary Pass and the Canadian border into the Strait of Georgia. It was between Saturna Island and Mayne Island that we encountered two Bigg’s killer whales. These two mammal-eaters were a mother and son...

Elle | M/V Osprey | 8/24/2022 | 1:30 PM

Today’s trip was a long haul into Canada! We heard reports of Bigg’s killer whales way north and sped as fast as we could to catch up to them. Finally, north of Saturna Island we encountered two adult whales. Mom Nootka and her eldest son Galiano, named after the nearby Galiano Island. We watched these whales zigzag through the Strait of Georgia, admiring Galiano’s massive floppy fin. This 30ft whale dwarfed his 24ft mother as they swam side-by...

Elle | M/V Osprey | 8/23/2022 | 1:30 PM

This afternoon we took a lovely cruise up San Juan Channel and past the forested northern side of Spieden Island. As we entered the Haro Strait near Stuart Island, we were able to see huge black dorsal fins and exhalations which look like 10-ft smokestacks at the surface. The group we encountered included five Bigg’s orca whales: two sisters, Pebbles and Sabio, and Pebbles’ two offspring: Jasper and Rubble. You may be wondering, who was the...

Elle | M/V Sea Lion | 8/19/2022 | 2:00PM

Today we traveled from Friday Harbor, WA to Victoria, BC and back again in search of wildlife. First we encountered Steller's sea lions at Whale Rocks, one of their favorite spots to stop and hang out as they migrate to Alaska for the summer. We were lucky this group decided to stay for a few extra months! We continued southwest until we saw blows in the distance. These turned out to be a young family of Bigg's killer whales. The mother of...

Elle | M/V Sea Lion | 8/18/2022 | 2:00PM

Today’s trip on Sea Lion took us out of Roche Harbor and up into the Canadian Gulf Islands. We stopped at a rocky reef near Spieden Island to look at some harbor seals and their pups, which are just a month or two old. As we continued up to Canada, we encountered a group of Bigg’s killer whales south of Gooch Island in the Haro Strait. We arrived just as they were finishing their hunt of a harbor porpoise, so we got to see some playful...

Monday August 15th, 2022

Abby Dahl

M/V Osprey 12:30pm

Gabe, Helena, Olivia, and I pulled away from the dock with recreational boat traffic lined up for the fuel dock; a mid-summer reminder that the season end is nearer than we could fathom. With walkies attached to each hip, we navigated our way out of the harbor and introduced the wildlife and ecology of the area to a boat full of new friends.

We veered right through San Juan Channel, southbound to a humpback whale report. The...

Elle | M/V Osprey | 8/14/2022 | 12:30 PM and 5:30 PM

Today on Osprey, we spent the day with two families of Bigg's killer whales; the T099 family and the T036 family. This was a group of ten whales, including a calf born in 2021 which still had a pinkish tinge to its eye patches (the normally white spots on the side of the whale, right behind their eyes). These whales were formerly known as transient, and each individual is given an identifying set of numbers and letters, such as T...